Kamen Rider - Expanded Universe: The Lost Rider
by darkmage02
Summary: Shinji had gave his life to stop the Rider War. Wasn't that big enough of a sacrifice? Shotaro already lost Philip once, he ain't gonna lose him again. At least not to a ghost. All Natsumi ever wanted was to be with Tsukasa and her friends. She never asked to be the saviour of worlds. The darkest evil is rising. Can the chaos be stopped and the missing Rider be found?
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

Shinji had no idea how did he end up on the cliff.

Last thing he remembered, he had a really bad day. Nothing seems to go right for him. First off, his bike broke down on his way to work. Like it always did at least three times a month. Then he was sent to investigate a bizarre murder case in the suburb, which on the way he got totally lost.

As if that wasn't bad enough, while lost he met a really strange man with a long black overcoat who looked at Shinji like he was about to attack him. He had a strange aura, like he was representing death itself. Shinji wasn't sure why he felt that way, but before he could figure that out the man disappeared. What happened after that was a blur, and now he was standing on a cliff overlooking a rocky beach, with the sounds of waves crashing against the stones in a deafening roar.

Standing right at the edge of the rocky beach were two men seemingly engaged in a serious conversation. One of them looked young, maybe in his mid twenties. He wore a long overhaul black coat on top of a full black skin-tight outfit. He could easily be mistaken as a member of rock band, complete with stylish, copper colored hairdo. The other had his back facing him so he couldn't made out his face, and had on a brown overhaul coat coupled with a brown hat. It seemed weird to Shinji that the hat didn't just flew off under the strong howling winds. He couldn't hear them amidst the sounds of chaos of the waves and winds mixing, but what he could tell was that it wasn't going well.

Shinji wasn't sure what to do. For one, he had no idea where he was. The sky was a dark grey and the whole world seemed to be drowned in everlasting shadows. He wanted to yell at the two men asking where he is but at the same time he's afraid to make his presence known. For all he know they could be dangerous right?

As sudden as his realization of his whereabouts, an abrupt silence fell upon his surroundings. He could no longer hear the waves. The winds have died down. Nothing seems to move, as if the world has come to a standstill. He could hear his own heartbeat racing faster and faster.

What is going on?

It was in this dead silence that he could hear the younger man spoke.

"I won't repeat the same mistakes again. The Riders are stronger than you think."

The man in hat shook his head slowly. "Not against Armageddon. You have no idea the terror he is capable of inflicting."

The young man's expression remained solemn as he spoke calmly. "Then I just have to go back to the beginning."

Before Shinji could even mentally process what was going on or the meanings of the words he heard, the world went pitch black.


	2. Chapter 1 - Shinji

**SHINJI**

Shinji hated nightmares.

It's one thing to have bad dreams, but it's another to have a bad dream that doesn't seem to make sense and leaves a feeling of absolute dread.

Shinji felt dizzy and weak. He lay on the bed of his tiny apartment staring at the moving fans on the ceiling, not even sure what day is it. No sunlight seemed to penetrate the curtains of his room, either it's a dark morning out there or its still nighttime. He remembered the grey sky casting shadows on the world surrounding him in his dream. He can only hoped that he had woken up and wasn't in the dream anymore.

His head still spinning, Shinji forced himself to get up from bed. He turned to look at the alarm clock right beside his bed to figure out the time – only to see a completely black screen. Great. The batteries are out. Before he could take one more step further away from bed, his leg got tangled among his bed sheets and blankets and he tripped and fell face down.

The day couldn't have got any worse was what Shinji thought to himself. Rubbing his sore chin, Shinji slowly got up and made his way into the bathroom for a quick wash up. He had no idea what time it is but he know one thing for sure – that it's near impossible for him to fall asleep right after that horrible dream.

The first thing he sees when he switched the dim lights on: a photograph of a girl named Yui.

Shinji had no memory of who Yui was or how or when he met her, IF he had even met her before. The only thing he remembered about this girl is that her name was Yui. He doesn't even remember her last name. Nor does he remember how he came into possession a picture of her. What was even weirder is this strange warm sensation he felt every time he thought about her. He felt like he really knew her and it was possible they were close. If so, how could he not remember more than just a name?

He took her photograph off the messy shelf on the bathroom wall and took a closer look. She had a nice smile. The photograph seemed old, probably from more than ten years ago. Shinji wondered how she would look like now. He wondered would he ever get to meet her. If he does, would she even know him? Shinji felt a pang of sadness as these thoughts ran through his mind.

Shinji didn't know if he was even late for work. In all honesty, he couldn't care less. He had been a journalist in ORE Journal – the local online news service, for more than eleven years. He started there as an intern and he thought he was going to slowly work his way up as an editor. Unfortunately for Shinji, his current editor, Takaiwa, had no intention of promoting him to any senior position at all.

However, Shinji couldn't leave ORE Journal because of a promise he made to Okubo – the editor and friend who took him in when he was still an intern. When Okubo left seven years ago for reasons unknown to him to this day, he made Shinji promised that he would look after the company. Despite not getting any promotions or raise, Shinji resolved to keep his promise. He just wished that it did not have to be this difficult.

Shinji quickly washed up, splashing cold water on his face to remove any traces of the bad dream he had. He still remembered the dark shadowy world. He still remembered when everything stood still and he could hear the voices of the two men talking in the distant. _Armageddon_. Something about that word, or name, bothered Shinji. He knew for sure he had never seen the two men before, so how did they ended up in his dream?

Whatever it was, Shinji prayed silently he would never had that dream ever again. But he doubted it. For as long as he could remember, Shinji always had bad things happening to him. His luck was as bad as it could possibly get. Something tells him that he would have that same dream again for many times. The very thought of that made him shivered.

The sudden ring of his cellphone shook Shinji out from his deep thoughts. He walked over and took a peek at the phone screen to see who was it. The name TAKAIWA appeared in large bold letters.

"Shinji, where in the hellhole are you?!" was the first thing Takaiwa said to him as he picked up his call.

"I'm still in my apartment. What time is it?"

"What time is it? Shinji, get your lazy ass out of there and meet me at the park now!"

"Which park?" Shinji said groggily.

"Shinjuku Park of course! Wake up that tiny brain of yours and get there in ten minutes!"

"10 minutes? How is that even possible from where I stay?"

"I don't care. Make it happen!"

Taikawa hung up and Shinji stood there, reluctant to move. Not only the park was far but also Shinji had this sudden feeling that he wasn't quite ready to face the world yet. It's like stepping out of his apartment would change his life somehow.

#####

Shinji arrived at the park thirty-five minutes later.

The first thing he noticed was how crowded the park was. He finally knew the time – it was a little past ten and usually the park wasn't that crowded on weekdays. Furthermore, the sky was strangely dark, like a thunderstorm was brewing in a distance. The air felt strangely humid though; Shinji felt a chill down his spine as his mind remembered the details of his dream from last night.

Nobody seemed to be bothered by the looming strange weather. People are huddled over a singular spot, blocking the view of whatever they were looking at from Shinji. He had this sick feeling he wasn't going to like what he sees. Before he could shake the feeling off, Takaiwa was running towards him shouting his name.

"What took you so long?!" Takaiwa said in between heavy breaths. "We were missing out on the scoop!"

"You could've done it without me. You're already here anyway." Shinji didn't bother to hide his annoyance in his voice.

"I'm not going to do your job for you. 'Sides, I need the extra hands. Now get moving. You won't believe what you're gonna see."

Shinji felt more reluctant than ever after hearing that.

They both made their way through the crowd, pushing aside people chattering and whispering to one another. He didn't really pay attention to what they're saying – he's close enough to hear them but was afraid he wasn't going to like what he heard. When they finally got to the front of the crowd, Shinji immediately wished he had stayed in bed and never got out.

Lying on the ground was a body – or what remained of a body. What he saw made his stomach sick. He couldn't decide if the body belonged to a male or female. How could he when the body was burnt and charred right down to the bones – a mix of flesh and ashes surrounding it. Shinji had to fight the urge to empty the contents of his stomach. It was a good thing he hadn't had anything to eat before getting out.

"Gross, isn't it? It's like someone just burned this poor soul and leave her to die on the streets."

"How did you know it's a her?" Shinji asked, surprised.

Takaiwa shook his head, seemingly irritated by the question. "A decade into journalism and you still hadn't learned to be more astute in your observations!" He pointed towards the mount of ashes. "What do you see over there?"

Shinji squinted. "A pile of grey ashes."

"Look closer you moron."

Shinji did as told and still, he saw only ashes. "What are you talking about?"

Takaiwa sighed. "Can't you see that piece of material there, half burnt but clearly was part of a strap that could only belonged to a handbag?"

Shinji took a hesitant step closer to get a better look and true enough he saw just that. He hated Takaiwa but can't help but to feel impressed at his attention to small details. It's something he never quite had it in him.

"Who do you think could possibly do that?"

"Or what. Look at those marks." Takaiwa pointed further down the road.

Shinji saw what could only be footmarks left by something not quite human. It was dark in color, almost black, like whomever those marks belonged got its feet covered in mud. The footmarks disappeared right at the corner of the road and Shinji wondered how far the creature got before it realized it was leaving prints behind. The mark looked like it could possibly belong a bear or something larger, something with long distinct claws as nails.

"Write down everything you see. I want a full report the moment we get back. I'm gonna go talk to the cops and see if I can find out more."

Shinji didn't quite know what to write. Everything he saw was so bizarre he doubt he could pen them down without it sounding like a horror story. He turned his gaze towards the burnt remains; part of him eager to dig deeper on the truth behind this and part of him was afraid of the answers he would find. At that moment he wished his old partner, Reiko, was still with him. Reiko has left for the United States following Okubo's sudden departure and he has been left without a proper partner ever since. Surely Reiko would know the best way to deal with this situation.

Shinji decided to scour the surrounding premise for any possible information on what might have happened. He would prefer to work as far as possible from the horrid remains, so he began to shift his attention to the crowd. He wondered if any of them saw anything at all and he wondered what had the police and forensics came up with thus far. He saw three teenagers huddled together, each of them looking nervously around. Shinji sensed something was suspicious about them but just as he was about to move over to ask them some questions, a man dressed in black overcoat stepped in between.

Shinji paused dead at his tracks upon the sight of that man – the same man he saw yesterday after he got lost in the suburbs. The man radiating a strange aura of death; his skin a pale white, so white it's almost transparent. His eyes locked onto Shinji's, his stare cold and deadly. Shinji couldn't remember what happened much after seeing this man the day before – with the list of strange happenings this morning he hadn't gave it much thought. But seeing him again up close, Shinji actually felt fear itself.

Not knowing why he was so scared of this man, Shinji searched his mind for something to say. Anything at all. He wanted to ask who he is and why was he following him. But this man looked like he represented death itself, so much that Shinji was afraid he was going to drop dead the moment he spoke to him. Shinji's hands began to sweat and as if on cue, the air around him grew still.

To his surprise, the man spoke.

"You need to remember."

"Huh?" Shinji didn't even realize the word escaped his mouth.

The man's voice was dry, like the sound of sand scraping against wood. "You have a role to play. For years you lived your life in bliss and ignorance, not fully aware of the supernatural occurring around you. It's time for you to pick up the card once more. We need every last Rider we can get if we are to win this war."

Thousands of questions ran through Shinji's mind and he didn't know which one to ask. _What was this guy talking about?_

"Soon, the Mirror World will be reopened. And it will come for you. Be ready then, if you don't want to die."

"Mirror World? What are you talking about? Who are you? Do I even know you?" Shinji's head began to hurt badly. For some reason he felt like he ought to remember what this man was talking about but he don't.

"You've been warned." With that, the man turned and Shinji had the sudden urge to go after him to demand for answers. But before he could call out for the man to wait, he heard a blood-curdling scream from behind him.


	3. Chapter 2 - Shinji

**SHINJI**

Shinji couldn't determine the source of the scream at first. He looked around and saw most people were as puzzled as he was, looking around. Shinji saw Takaiwa waving frantically for him to come over. He turned to see the man had disappeared once more.

Shinji frantically searched around for the strange man. Despite his fears, he wasn't going to stand around after having received the warning. He didn't quite understand the warning itself but something inside him told him that there's a grave danger underlying in that warning.

And something about this _Mirror World_ really bothered him. He felt like he had heard the name before but he couldn't quite place it as to when was that. His heart raced along his mind as thoughts after thoughts flew by his mind. The deadly-looking man. The things he said. The dream he had. The things the men in his dreams said. He wondered if they're all related somehow.

Armageddon. Rider. Mirror World. _What are those things?_

Before he can give those any further thoughts, he heard a second scream.

This time the scream felt a lot nearer. Panic arises in the crowd around him. People began to talk over one another frantically, wondering what those screams were about. The police officers looked stunned, trying to determine the next course of action.

Then all hell breaks loose.

The building right behind him exploded in a loud BOOM, leaving thousands of debris falling down towards the people on the streets. Now people were running all over the place as chaos took over and before Shinji could even grasp what just took place a couple more buildings nearby exploded as well.

Shinji had no choice but to run along. He doesn't know where he was going but he knew he had to get out of there. He caught glimpse of Takaiwa running about amongst the crowd of people fleeing the scene. He wanted to make his way towards him but before he could do so, something else caught his eye.

Steadily marching towards them were about a dozen of humanoid-looking creatures, pale grey in color. Shinji couldn't comprehend what he just saw. The creatures have metal plates covering various parts of their body, like armors. Their faces were mostly hidden as each of them wore a hideous metal helmet with a fixed expression of terror. Their eyes were a glowing blue behind the helmet, menacing and malevolent. Shinji had never seen something so terrifying that he stopped at his tracks, paralyzed by fear.

The creatures each held a long staff (or spear, Shinji wasn't sure) with a glowing blue orb right at the tip. The orb cackled with energy and the creatures look eager to unleash it on the crowd. Shinji's heart skipped a beat when he caught one of the creatures fixed its sight directly at him.

_Run! I need to run!_ Shinji screamed in his head, urging his body to move but his legs felt like lead, refusing to budge.

One of the creatures raised his staff up high and a burst of energy shot from the orb and hit the surrounding buildings, causing a wave of explosion. More and more people screamed and ran to escape the vicinity, but Shinji just stood there, unable to move, unable to even look away from the creatures.

He knew he was going to die the moment the creature that was staring at him began to charge towards him.

This is it. His life is about to end. He hadn't accomplished anything even remotely significant in his life. And Yui. He wasn't sure why Yui had to come to his mind at that moment but the thought of never actually getting the chance to see her, to meet her in person, saddens Shinji greatly.

Shinji closed his eyes to brace himself for the inevitable. And in the darkness, he welcomed death.

#####

Shinji wasn't sure how much time has passed. He stood there in darkness, afraid to open his eyes, afraid to see what's coming. He waited and waited; yet he felt no pain inflicted.

He didn't get blasted to pieces. He's still breathing, still experiencing fear. Various sounds of chaos engulfed him but still he was too afraid to even take a peek.

"Shinji."

His heart stopped. Someone called his name. Soft, almost a whisper. But he could hear it clearly. It was the voice of a woman. Very gentle and soothing, yet sad.

"Shinji."

He finally found enough courage to open his eyes; his curiosity at the voice gave him the needed extra push. He didn't see anyone, man or woman, near him, let alone whispering his name. He looked around in confusion, momentarily forgot that his live was in danger.

He heard rapid approaching footsteps behind him and he turned just in time to find himself coming face to face with one of the hideous creatures. He was shocked that it took the monster this long to get to him. He honestly thought it did be a lot faster. Nonetheless, he knew this moment would be his death. He only hoped it did be swift.

What happened next happened in a blink of an eye. Something so fast he couldn't see it clearly. Something big and red in color flew right between him and the monster so fast he couldn't make out what that thing is. It was gone as fast as it appeared and so was the monster approaching him.

Shinji spin around in confusion, not comprehending a single thing that has happened. The rest of the monsters had pulled to a stop, every single one of them now looking at him. He knew now is the best time to run for his life but his legs just wouldn't move.

"What are you doing? Let's go!"

There it was again. The voice of a woman. But this time she sounded different. No. Wait. It's a completely different voice. Still a woman, but much more forceful in tone. He turned and saw a young woman, maybe in her early twenties, looking at him, calling out to him. She had long, black hair and sharp round eyes. She was dressed fully in black (why does everyone he came in contact with today had to wear black?); black boots and leggings with a matching black skirt coupled with a black leather jacket. She had a look of utmost urgency as she continued to call out to him.

"Don't just stand there! RUN!"

Shinji finally managed to force himself into a run towards the girl, not wanting to look back at the monsters behind him. He was sure they would come after him but to his surprise, the girl began to run towards him as well.

No. She ran pass him instead.

"Kiva-la, come!"

Shinji skidded to a stop and turned back to take a look and saw the girl too had stopped right in front of the approaching monsters.

What he saw next added a thousand more question marks into his mind.

A tiny, white creature quickly flew towards the girl and she reached out towards the air and grabbed it. He wasn't sure what she was doing but she stood there, seemingly not afraid of the monsters.

"Henshin!"

A swarm of purple and pink lights engulfed her body and the lights grew so intense Shinji had to look away. When he returned his gaze to the girl, he saw that she was now clad in a white and purple armor of sorts with a long sword by her side.

"Kamen Rider Kiva-la!" she declared.


	4. Chapter 3 - Shinji

**SHINJI**

Shinji opened his eyes only to immediately close it again; the intense sunlight raining down on his face was uncalled for. He waited a while for his eyes to adjust to the brightness and took a better look at his surroundings.

Shinji was back in his room.

He shot right up to a sitting position on his bed, confused at what just happened. _How did I end up back here?_ he thought. The monsters. The explosion. The fleeing people. The mysterious man of death (that's what he decided to call him from now on). The girl clad in white armor. Was all of that just a dream?

Shinji scrambled out of bed and look out the window. The sky was bright, the sun glaring down at him. No sign of the cold and dark world he thought he was in.

_It had to be a dream_, Shinji decided.

Shaking off the slight dizziness he felt, Shinji looked down at the alarm clock beside his bed. It was functioning well again, 7:09 AM brightly written on its screen in green light. He grabbed his phone and quickly checked through his caller list. No calls from Takaiwa this morning.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Shinji plopped back down on his bed. Maybe he should take a day off today. Having one nightmare after another is way more tiring. He took out his phone and was dialing Takaiwa's number when something caught the corner of his eye.

A strange, rectangular object was lying on the floor right outside the door of his bathroom. Shinji moved over and picked it up, curiosity immediately taking over. The object was solid black in color with no distinctive design on it. He flipped it over and realized there was a built-in slot that seems to hold something in place. Slowly and cautiously, Shinji slid out the object within to take a better look.

It was a piece of card. In fact, there was a whole deck of them, each one having a similar blue and black printed design on its back. When he turned the top card over to the other side, there were multiple empty grey boxes printed on the surface. On top of the boxes lied a single grey bar with the word "CONTRACT" written largely in bold. The rest of the cards have similar grey boxes but without any wordings.

Shinji was sure that the object and the cards do not belong to him. His tiny apartment may be messy, but he knew exactly the things he have and didn't have. He had no recollection of ever seeing cards before and wondered how did it ended up in his room.

Too many strange things have happened. It can't all be a coincidence right? For some reason Shinji had a very bad feeling about all of this. He can't dismiss the feeling that they're all connected somehow. The nightmares. The things he saw in them. This strange object and the cards.

Shinji needed answers but wasn't sure where to look for them.

He shook his head. He is a journalist. Looking for answers is his specialty. He wasn't sure how but he is going to get to the bottom of this. There had to be a logical explanation.

#####

Shinji rode steadily towards the city in his rundown scooter. He prayed hard that it wouldn't break down today. He had enough bad luck for the day. Last thing he needed was to be stranded with a broken bike.

As if on cue, his scooter coughed out a huge black puff of smoke and the engine died.

_Great. The day couldn't get any better_, he thought.

Shinji pulled his poor bike to the side of the road and stood there in frustration. There's a person he needed to see who might be able to give him some answers. An enigmatic elder lady by the name Sanoko.

He met Sanoko a long time ago, back when he was still an intern while on an assignment. She was a sweet lady in her sixties who operates a café nearby where Shinji works. The lady took a strange liking to Shinji, claimed that he reminded her of someone she knew. She would allow Shinji to dine for free (he did insist on paying!) and at one point even offered Shinji lodging when he was kicked out of his old apartment (the rent was too high!).

Sanoko often recalled about her adventures in many different parts of the world and that she even mastered the art of fortune telling. Many times, she would offer to read out Shinji's future predicaments but he never quite took her seriously. However, there was one time that Sanoko said something particularly strange.

'One day, you'll realize that you are part of something big. When the world around you begin to change and get far too weird for you to comprehend, come and find me.'

Shinji dismissed her as over-exaggerating, as usual, but given what have occurred in the last 2 days he was suddenly reminded of what Sanoko told him. He needed answers, and as crazy as that lady sounded, she may have what he was looking for.

Shinji decided to leave his scooter in the alley by the side of a pastry shop and walked the rest of the way to Sanoko's café. He only took two steps when a man walked into view at the opposite end. The man looked about to be in his early twenties, wearing a brown jacket over a white T-shirt and dark blue jeans. He had a rugged looking hair, like someone who woke up an hour late for work and had no time to take a look at the mirror. And in his right hand was a gun.

'Kido Shinji, eh?' the man asked, in somewhat of a mocking tone.

'Huh? How did –' Shinji never got the chance to finish his sentence. The man pointed the gun at him; a gun twice the size of a revolver, black in color decorated with blue and yellow linings on the tip.

'You're not needed in the upcoming war. Walk away; go back to the life you have lived for the past decade. Trust me, you won't like the answers you're looking for.'

'What are you talking about?' Shinji could hear the panic in his own voice.

'Ah, I just said the word _decade_. How ironic.' The man looked down and snickered to himself, like he just realized he had said something funny without intending to.

'Look.. I don't know who you are but I don't want any trouble. Just..' Shinji began. 'Quiet! You have no idea what's out there. You're not supposed to remember anything. Now give me the cards,' the man roared.

Shinji's hand moved to his side pocket, where he placed the weird object holding the deck of cards he found in his apartment. Why does he want it?

'Don't ask any questions,' the man said, as if reading his thoughts. 'Just hand it over to me and walk away. Forget what you think you saw, and live the rest of your lives the way you have been. It's for your own good anyway.'

Fear overwhelmed Shinji. This man had killer eyes; there's no doubt he would pull the trigger on that gun if Shinji didn't do as told. But at the same time, he knew that if the man wanted the cards, then it means it must have something to do with all the bizarre stuffs happening lately. Which is why he couldn't hand over the cards.

There is no way Shinji could walk away and pretend none of this ever happened.

'How do you know about the cards? Why do you want it?' Shinji asked, trying to mask his fear as best he could. He needed to buy time, to see if there was a way out of this. How could no one have seen this man pointing a gun at him?!

'Tsk tsk. Like I said, it's best you don't know. Are you going to give me the cards, or do I have to take it from you over your dead body?'

'If you know anything about the strange things that have been happening to me, please, tell me. I can't just pretend – '

'Enough! I don't have time for this. Looks like we have to do this the hard way. You asked for it.' The man pulled the trigger, fired shots at Shinji who thought he was going to die for real before a figure quickly stepped in and parried the bullets with a sword.

It was the same woman clad in white armor from his dream.

'Kaito, stop this! What are you trying to do?!' she said to the man.

Kaito pulled back, obviously surprised at her sudden appearance. 'Natsu-melon, what a coincidence. Wasn't expecting you to show up so soon.'

Wait. _Natsu-melon_? Was that the name of the woman who has just saved his life?

'Kaito.. please. Stop this, whatever you're doing. Tell me what's going on. And it's Natsumi,' she replied, and Shinji could sense sadness in her voice.

'You too should have stayed out of this. Go to a world as far away from here as possible. Stay there, and pray Armageddon doesn't set his eyes on that world. Believe me, this one is about to be destroyed and you don't want to be there when that happens,' Kaito said, his expression difficult to read. Strangely, Shinji caught a glimpse of sadness in his eyes. But he must be wrong. This man was trying to kill him.

'We can stop this, Kaito. Together. And we need to find Tsukasa,' Natsumi pleaded.

'It's too late. Forget about Tsukasa, he's dead,' Kaito said before turning around to leave.

'Wait Kaito!' Natsumi began to go after him but the man pointed the gun behind him without looking back and fired. Natsumi managed to block his attack and the bullet strayed to the sides.

'Don't follow me. We're not friends. Next time I see you guys again, I will kill you both.' Kaito still had his back facing them when he pulled out a card and inserted it into his gun.

'ATTACK RIDE: INVISIBLE,'' the gun announced in a mean-sounding voice (or at least Shinji thought it was the gun, he didn't see anything around that could have said that). With that, Kaito vanished from view as sudden as he had appeared.


	5. Chapter 4 - Shinji

**SHINJI**

Shinji has seen tons of strange things during his career as a journalist but what just happened topped the list.

Natsumi lowered her sword and her armor dissipated in a burst of bright purple and pink lights. The strange white creature he saw earlier in what he thought was a dream flew about Natsumi.

'What a jerk. Next time we see him, we kill him together. Right, Natsumi?' the creature spoke.

_It can talk?!_ Shinji suddenly felt lightheaded.

'Not now, Kiva-la.' Natsumi turned to face Shinji. Shinji realized for the first time how pretty she looked, but apparent sadness filled her face. She looked like someone who had just lost her loved ones. 'Leave us.'

'As you wish, my mistress.' Kiva-la giggled and flew away. Shinji stared at it until it was out of sight.

'We need to move. Now. We have attracted too much attention already,' Natsumi said, her voice grave serious. Shinji was too puzzled by everything to move, but Natsumi quickly grabbed his arm and dragged him away. Shinji was even more surprised at how strong she was, even without the armor.

Shinji took a quick glance behind him and saw no one, not even a single person was paying attention at the alley. Apparently, gun and sword fights are too common in Tokyo for people to even take notice.

Great.

'Where are you taking me? What on bloody-earth is going on?' Shinji had like a million questions running through his mind.

'I'll explain later. Right now we need to get as far away from here as possible.'

'Why? There's nobody who had taken notice of us or what just happened.'

'It's not the people I'm worried about. It's the Legion.'

'The _what_?!'

Natsumi didn't reply. She continued to drag Shinji along, moving as fast as she could. They went through various alleys, each seemingly abandoned, becoming coming to a dead end. But Natsumi showed no sign of stopping as she headed towards the wall at the end.

'What in the name of –' Before Shinji could finished his sentence, a strange veil of white and grey appeared right in front of the walls and both of them passed through it. The veil sent a shiver down Shinji's spine; it was cold as ice when his skin made contact with it.

What Shinji saw next made his knee buckled. Natsumi had to hold him to keep him from falling. They were right in front of Sanoko's café.

'Listen. I will try my best to throw them off our scent. I will lead them somewhere far. You go in and get your answers. You may not like what you find, but we need you to remember. The fate of the world depends on it.'

That sounded so ridiculous to Shinji that he broke into laughter despite his confusion and fear. 'What are you talking about? WHO ARE YOU? What is all this? What fate depends on me?!' Shinji didn't meant to yell, but he was starting to lose it. Nothing makes sense anymore.

'You have to keep it together. Please. We're losing this war fast. I need to get the Legion away from you long enough until you remembered, and I need to find Tsukasa. You have to trust me. I will explain everything when I can.' With that, Natsumi turned and the strange veil appeared once more. She went through it and both disappeared from view.

Wonderful. A teleporting pretty girl saved his life from monsters and mad-man-with-gun and left him with unanswered questions. Can his life get any weirder?

Shinji stood there for a long time, not even sure what to do next. When he finally came to his senses, he turned and looked up at the café. A sign hung up high in front of the café that read "Atori".

Slowly, Shinji made his way into the café. A sweet aroma of coffee and tea greeted him upon his entrance. The café was almost empty except for a couple sitting at the far corner. He searched around but didn't see Sanoko around.

Shinji had an inexplicable urge to turn and leave. Both Natsumi and Kaito have said he won't like what he would find. What if what they said were true? That the answers he was looking for would ruin his life somehow? Maybe it's best he walk out now, before it's too late.

'My, my. What a pleasant surprise to see you, Shinji.'

Shinji looked up to see Sanoko standing behind the bar counter with a huge smile on her face. _When did she get there?_

'Uhmm.. hi,' was all Shinji managed.

'Come, my boy. Take a seat. Coffee or tea?' Sanoko asked, surprising Shinji how happy she sounded. After everything that just happened, anything "happy" was about the last thing on Shinji's mind.

'Coffee please.'

'Be right back, sweetie.'

Okay, this is strange. Sanoko was usually nice to him, but she sounded _extra_ nice today.

Shinji left his coffee untouched when Sanoko took a seat opposite of him. She smiled at Shinji and made a gentle nudge with her head, motioning for him to drink up. He took a sip and placed the cup down, nervous on how he was going to start.

In fact, he wasn't sure if he wanted to ask anymore.

'I know why you're here.'

That took Shinji off-guard so much he would have dropped his cup had he was still holding it.

'You do? How?'

'I told you to come back and find me when things around you start to get weird. From the look on your face, I'm sure it has. My intuition is never wrong.'

Shinji didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to even start.

'Tell me everything that has happened. I need to know, if I am going to answer your questions.'

Slowly, but eventually, Shinji managed to tell Sanoko all the bizarre things that occurred. The whole time Sanoko listened and said nothing, paying intense attention.

When Shinji was finished, she closed her eyes and sighed.

'I knew this day would come. I was hoping it wouldn't be this soon. That you did have more time, to enjoy the life you deserved.'

Okay, that does it. Everyone seems to know something, but none of them are telling him anything solid. It's been one riddle after another.

'So you know what is going on? You know about those weird people, the nightmare I had, the monsters? You know about all of them?'

'Not in specifics, but in general, yes.'

'Then TELL ME what you know!'

'Calm down, boy. Freaking out won't do you any good.'

'I NEED to know. Please. I need some answers. And I'm not a boy anymore. I'm way over thirty.'

'Don't talk to me about age, boy. I understand your reason to be afraid and confused. Believe me, I too was afraid when I first found out about the truth. I still am.' Sanoko glanced out the window into the distance, as if lost in her own train of thoughts.

'What _truth_ are you talking about? Please.'

Sanoko sighed once more and returned his gaze to Shinji. She pointed behind him, towards the counter. 'Do you see that picture over there?'

Shinji turned to look over at the counter. He saw, resting on the left side of the counter was a picture of a young boy and girl, the boy probably a few years older. Both of them were smiling happily in the photo, as if yet exposed to the harsh reality of life.

'Those are my grandchildren, Shiro and Yui. Lovely, aren't they?' Sanoko said.

It took a few moments before the one of the names registered in Shinji's mind: Yui.

Shinji returned to face Sanoko, who was now visibly sad looking, the exact opposite of how she was just minutes ago.

'I lost Yui when she was eight. Just two months after that photograph was taken, she fell ill and died a week later. Shiro was in great grief and soon after went over to America to live with his aunt. I never saw him again ever since.'

Shinji's throat felt dry as sand. His stomach felt sick, and he had this weird feeling of sadness overwhelming him. He said nothing and allowed Sanoko to continue.

'My heart was broken and I too grieved for a long period of time before moving on. Then one day, I decided to travel around the world, see different places. Hoping to find a place that would heal the wounds long buried in my heart.'

'It was while in Burma that I encountered a medium, a man said to possess the gift of fortune telling. Now, I know this sounds silly to you but had you saw what he predicted and how true all of those turned out to be, you did believe in him too.'

'I wanted to learn more from him but he wasn't very eager to share with me. He said I needed to earn it. Eventually my persistence won over, of course. He fell sick and passed on, but not before handing over his gift to me. What I saw after inheriting the gift, however, made me wished I never got it in the first place.'

Shinji felt his own heartbeat racing. Beads of sweat began to break out along his temples, his hands shivering.

'You see, what I got from him was more than the ability to predict the future. I am able to see things, of the past and the future, and even of alternate worlds. I saw a different life, a different path chosen by Shiro right after Yui died. A path of bloodshed, so to speak. And you played an important part in it.'

Shinji held his breath, waiting for Sanoko to continue. His mind cooked up questions after questions with each word he heard from Sanoko and he had to fight the urge to spill them all out.

'I did not fully understand the entire situation but I got the overall picture of things. It was terrifying, what he did. He started a war, pulling innocents to fight one another with the promise of the victor attaining the right to be granted one single wish. Shiro's wish, of course, is to bring Yui back to life. Many died, including you.'

There was no mirror around but Shinji was sure his face was as pale as ghost upon hearing that. 'What kind of war? Why was I in it?' He finally couldn't take it and had to ask this much at least.

'Like I said, I only saw enough for me to understand the big picture. As for why you participate in the war, that I do not know. But what I do know was that you fought and stood for what's good. You're a hero, Shinji. Right until the very end.' Sanoko reached out and took Shinji's hand, squeezing it.

'At last, Shiro could not save Yui. He realized the error in his ways and reversed time itself, resulting in the world we knew and lived in. I do not know how he gained such power but in this timeline, it seems that he never did.'

Shinji was lost at words. He wasn't sure what to say or ask anymore. All of this sounded so crazy to him. But he knew he needed to confirm something at least. He reached into his breast pocket and took out the picture of Yui.

'Is this the same Yui? Your granddaughter?' Shinji asked, handing over the photo to Sanoko who took it with her eyes wide in surprise. She studied it in silence, her expression turned to that of sorrow.

'Yes. Beautiful, isn't she? That's how she would look like, had she grown up. In that timeline, Shiro managed to gave Yui a temporary life, which will last her till her twentieth birthday. The war was to grant her a permanent one. Ironically, it was her who saved Shiro and everyone else. She stopped him, convinced him that her life alone wasn't worth taking so many of others. She was kind and brave, just like you were.'

Shinji's heart sank. He wasn't quite sure he believed everything Sanoko said, but if they're true, then it meant he would never get to see Yui after all. She never lived past her childhood and he had never met her, not in this timeline. But how did he come in possession of her photograph?

'I don't know,' Sanoko said, again as if reading his mind. 'I never thought I did see that face of hers again, apart from these visions I had. It was cruel, what happened to both of them. I'm not saying what Shiro did was right, but he did it out of his love for Yui.'

Shinji removed his hand from Sanoko's and stood up, backing away from the table. This was more than what he could handle.

This cannot be real. All of this sounded like a made-up fairytale. That _must_ be it. Sanoko must have lost it. She had always went on and on about her superstitions and all things crazy. There's no way Shinji was going to believe the things she said.

'I need to go. Now.' Shinji wanted to get away from Sanoko. Away from Atori. He wanted to go as far away from all these insanity as possible.

Sanoko sighed and stood up. 'Come with me, Shinji.'

'Huh? No, I need to go. Whatever you told me, it's crazy. I'm not buying any of it. You're out of your mind.' Shinji began to make his way towards the door. He was only two steps away from the exit when Sanoko called out.

'I can show you what I saw. Then you'll know I'm telling the truth.'

Shinji froze on his tracks.

'I won't pass on the gift to you like the medium did to me. It can ruin your life if you're not careful. But what I can do is that I can share with you my vision. I've learnt to do that much over the years, preparing for this day. To make you believe.'

All Shinji needed to do was to get to the door, open it and get out of there. He could return to his old life, pretending none of this ever happened. Kaito was right. He didn't like what he found. Not one bit. But _could he_? Could he really go back to living his life the way he did?

For a long while, Shinji stood there, not moving. Nobody said anything. Then, Shinji sucked in a deep breath and turned to face Sanoko. The elder lady looked at him with such sad eyes. Shinji wanted to believe that she was crazy. But something deep inside him was urging him to trust this woman.

'Unfortunately for you, time of peace is over. I never wanted to tell you any of this until.. until the time was right. You deserved to live a happy life, free from all the fighting and deaths. But fate can be cruel. I saw glimpses of what's to come, of the future waiting for this world. It's a future that requires you to fight again. And to do that, you need the courage and resolve you once had.'

'So I waited. Waited for the right opportunity. I knew who you were from the day we first met. I watched over you all these years in anticipation of today. I knew you'll come to me for answers and when you do, I shall be ready. I may not be able to see everything that occurred in that timeline, but I have seen enough. Enough to know you fought and stood for what's good. You're selfless in that war. This world needs you to be that again.' Sanoko reached out her hand towards Shinji.

'Let me show you.'

Shinji decided not to take her hand but looked directly at Sanoko and said 'Okay then. But if I don't like what I see, I'm outta here.'


	6. Chapter 5 - Natsumi

**NATSUMI**

Natsumi had never once thought she did be a hairdresser.

She was desperately hopping around worlds in an attempt to lead the Legion as far away from the clue-less Shinji as possible. It wasn't very difficult to get their attention – those demons delight in the sight of a Rider, eager to rip apart and feast on one. Natsumi wasn't exactly paying attention to which world did she crashed into, right until she landed in one dressed as in tight black blouse with red miniskirt complete with comb and scissor in hands.

She took in her surroundings and found herself to be right in the middle of a busy hair saloon. Customers bustled in and out, some chattering in loud voices and some picking on magazines while their hair was being made. The hairdressers all dressed in similar black and red outfit and worked in amazing speed, their hands snipping and trimming. Nobody seemed to pay Natsumi any attention.

Well, right until now.

'You there. Yup, you. Are you new? First day?' a voice called.

Natsumi turned around and saw a woman calling towards her, her hand waving for Natsumi to come over.

She made her way slowly towards the woman, puzzled. Natsumi stopped and glanced around nervously, suddenly realising that just moments ago she was running from the Legion. The demons are nowhere to be seen but she was sure they were close by.

'Chop chop. Hurry up and come here,' the woman called impatiently.

Natsumi looked around one last time before continue making her way towards the woman perched behind the counter. She looked to be about in her earlier thirties, with medium length hair cut and perm in gorgeous waves of curls. She wore a white blouse with matching black skirt and Natsumi knew instantly she was the person in charge around here.

'Hi. What's your name?' the woman asked with a smile, though Natsumi wasn't quite sure yet if the woman was actually friendly.

'Erm… Natsumi. Where is this place?'

The woman looked at her with wide eyes, obviously puzzled at her reply. 'You have no idea where you are at? Funny that you mention cause I don't remember interviewing you either. This is your first day here right?'

Natsumi could feel her face turning red. She searched her mind for a quick answer and a way to get out of this awkward situation.

'I'm sorry but I really need to go.' This is the best she could come up with. Great.

Natsumi dropped the scissor and the comb on the counter and quickly made her way to the front door of the saloon. She could hear the woman calling out to her but she didn't stop nor looked back. She yanked the glass door open and bumped right into a man about to enter.

'Sorry,' Natsumi said without really looking the man in the eyes. She ran past him, eager to get away, perhaps to another world.

'Hey wait! You dropped this.' Natsumi heard the man calling after her. She stopped and turned around. The man was holding out something to her.

A picture. Kadoya Tsukasa's picture.

Natsumi's heart sank, a feeling of immense sadness overwhelmed her. She walked slowly towards the man and took the picture from him.

Just a month ago, her friend Tsukasa had disappeared. Like Natsumi, he had the ability to travel between worlds. Often they would travel together but from time to time Tsukasa would journey out on his own. Natsumi wouldn't worry; as Kamen Rider Decade sometimes there were things only he could do. Tsukasa would always return days after.

But not this time.

Natsumi remembered that day well. Tsukasa had been gone for over a week without any news and Natsumi was beginning to get anxious on his whereabouts. She wanted to go look for him but she did not know which world he ventured into. He had left without saying anything to her, something she wasn't happy about but have gotten used to over the years.

The sky was dark and she could hear thunder rumbling in the distance, as if a storm was brewing. She made herself a cup of hot coffee and sat in the living room looking through old photos of the adventures she had shared with her friends, especially Tsukasa.

When Natsumi first met him years ago, he was a man who had no idea where he came from and was looking for a world that he belonged to. When he was revealed to be Decade, they had journeyed into many different worlds together with her grandfather Eijiro, Onodera Yuusuke from the world of Kuuga and the thief Kaito Daiki, also known as Kamen Rider Diend.

The five of them had been through many adventures and battles together and despite their differences from time to time, they're like a family. Both Tsukasa and Kaito never quite found the world they belonged to but to them, it matters not as long as they're all together.

Now it was just Natsumi and the photo album of memories. She had no idea where Tsukasa had gone. Yuusuke has retuned to his world after learning that the Grongis have been resurrected. Natsumi offered to help but Yuusuke claimed that it was his responsibility and that having grown a lot stronger after their adventures he should be able to deal with the threat on his own. Kaito, as usual, was nowhere to be seen. He was probably hunting for new treasures in some distant world.

Even her grandfather, Eijiro, had set out to explore the current world they're in. To Natsumi, there was nothing particularly interesting about this world – except that they had really good ramen stalls in almost every corner of the streets. Perhaps her grandfather was looking to try out as much ramen as humanly possible.

Natsumi was lost in her thoughts reminiscing about the good times the five of them had. She was overcome by a strong feeling of loneliness and looking through the album suddenly doesn't seem like such a good idea to her anymore. Her heart jumped to her throat when Kaito burst through the door and collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily.

His shirt was tattered, as if shredded by hundreds of flying blades. He was covered in cuts and bruises, his hair damped from sweat. Natsumi set the album aside and rushed to his aid.

'Kaito! What going on? Are you alright?!'

'Tsukasa.. he.. that idiot..,' Kaito said in between heavy breaths. His eyes looked wild, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying.

Panic gripped Natsumi's heart. 'Tsukasa? What happened to him? You two were together? What's going on?'

Kaito looked Natsumi dead in the eyes and muttered 'Armageddon..' before passing out.

####

'Miss? You there?'

Natsumi blinked and focused on the man right in front of her. Apparently she had zoned out and made a fool of herself. Great. 'Yah, sorry. Thanks for.. you know. The picture. Bye,' Natsumi said awkwardly.

The man looked at her without saying a word as she took her leave. She clutched Tsukasa's picture tightly, afraid that it's going to slip away from her again. Until she found him, this picture was all she got left. The mere memory of that fateful day sent cold shivers down her back.

Natsumi stopped at the junction of the road and tried to take in her surroundings. To her left stood a giant plaza with multistory white buildings. It was empty except for a few old couples strolling down the walkway. To her right stood a row of shop lots, each seemingly empty without customers. The street itself was bustling with people but everybody seemed to steer clear of both the plaza and the shop lots. How strange.

Other than that, this world seemed pretty normal. No monsters or anything supernatural. Most of the worlds Natsumi travelled to were anything but ordinary. She would have loved to stay longer in this world. If only she could.

Natsumi knew she had to keep moving. She knew she had to drive the Legion away from this world. No doubt those demons were still on her trail and she couldn't risk them destroying a peaceful world like this one. But where could she go? Is there anywhere she could go that wouldn't cause casualty and destruction?

Natsumi decided to try her luck and turned left towards the plaza. Since it was near empty perhaps she could travel to another world without anyone seeing her. Maybe she could try going to Yuusuke's world and seek his help.

_No, I should leave Yuusuke out of this_, Natsumi told herself. If it's true that the Grongis have then she can't bring in any more danger into that world. She paused while searching her mind for a world to head to. She needed to find and rally the other Riders but she didn't know how. She was told by Narutaki to go after Kidou Shinji, the original Ryuki because he's the first one that the Legion will target. Now that she had driven the demons away from him, where should she head to next?

By the way, Narutaki was a strange and mysterious man who constantly appeared before Natsumi and her friends in their adventures over the years. She couldn't decide if he was a friend or foe; in fact he had been both. Sometimes he came with a warning on the dangers they're about to face, offering help and sometimes he's the enemy himself. But the last time he showed up he had delivered a helpful tip.

Natsumi had no idea the true identity of most of the Riders. Tsukasa had came across them several times but he never spoke much about them, only that they're "troublesome and handful". She was sure that Narutaki knew but she had no way of finding that man. There was, however, one more Rider she knew the identity of. Identities, actually.

Hidari Shotaro and his partner, Philip. Kamen Rider W.

She had met both of them a few years ago when she and her friends fought against the resurging Dai Shocker, an evil organisation comprised of monsters and demons that the Riders have faced over the decades. Kamen Rider W had helped in defeating the Shockers and Natsumi was sure that in times like this they would be great allies.

The only problem now was how she was gonna get to them. Natsumi knew they're both in the city of Fuuto, but she did not know which world it resides in. The last time they had came upon the Riders by chance and she didn't trust her chance now. Not with the string of bad luck she's having of late.

Seeing that she didn't have much choice, Natsumi figured that she might as well try jumping into different worlds until she ended up in Fuuto. It's a real long shot but it's better than standing there. Before she could make a move, however, she noticed the plaza was now completely empty except for her.

'You're not lost, are you, missy?' a voice called from behind her.

Natsumi turned around to face the source of the voice to find a man wearing brown leather jacket and jeans topped with a cowboy hat standing facing her, an evil grin slowly spreading across his face. He had tiny eyes with neat trimmed beard and moustache, his skin tanned and body muscular. He really did look like a cowboy straight out from an old western film, except of course that he's Japanese.

'Now, let me introduce myself. My name is Shoot, and I'm the bounty hunter tasked with bringing in you petty Riders.'

_Shoot the Bounty Hunter? Really? He couldn't have came up with a less lame nickname for himself?_ Natsumi had to hold back a laugh, despite that her life was in possible great danger.

'You'll be a good little missy and won't resist capture, right? If you be nice, I promise I won't play rough.' Shoot said with a mocking tone. He tried to imitate a western accent so hard that Natsumi couldn't hold it in anymore and laughed. Shoot looked at her, obviously bewildered.

'Sorry. It's just.. your name and your accent. I can't..' Natsumi couldn't finish her sentence and continued laughing.

'Hey! That's rude of ya'! And I don't tolerate rudeness!' Shoot bellowed. His face turned red, which was kind of hard to notice given his tanned skin.

'I'm really, really sorry..' Natsumi knew she should try to take Shoot seriously but she just couldn't stomach in her laughter. She wasn't quite sure what got into her.

Shoot raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Instantly about a dozen Legionnaires appeared, summoned and ready for battle. Natsumi's laughter was cut short and she finally took in the seriousness of all this. The cowboy may sound funny and look human but it's clear he's anything but those.

'What's wrong? Keep on laughing, missy. I was going to be nice but you decided to be mean. Now I'm pissed!' Shoot pointed at Natsumi, signaling the Legionnaires to attack. The demons raised their spear/staff and charged at Natsumi, eager to rip her to pieces.

'Kiva-la! Come!' Natsumi called. Moments passed, but nothing happened. The sneaky bat was nowhere to be seen.

Natsumi stood here, stunned. _Where is that bat when she needed it most?_ The Legionnaires closed in on her and she knew she had no choice but to break into a run. She turned and sprints off in the other direction, planning for the right moment to summon a portal and escape into another world. To her horror more Legionnaires waited for her in that direction, as well as both sides to her left and right. She was completely surrounded. She tried to summon the portal right where she was standing but nothing appeared. She closed her eyes and willed the portal to appear but with no luck. The Legionnaires are only a few feet away and she had nowhere to escape. Fear gripped her heart as she prepared for her capture.

_No! If I'm going down, I'm going down fighting_. Natsumi looked up at the oncoming demons and shifted into a fighting stance, ready to fight the best she could. The first Legionnaire strike at her with its spear but Natsumi quickly swerved to the left, evading the attack and kicked the demon right on the torso. The demon collapsed backwards but another one attempted to stab her from the back. Natsumi dived down, avoided the attack and used her leg to sweep the demon off the ground. Her body filled with adrenalin, she continued to block and evade the Legionnaires' attacks while knocking them down one by one. But without her powers, she could not injure or take out the demons. Every time she brought one down, another rose up, completely unscathed. Soon, exhaustion caught up and she found herself slowed down in counterattacking the demons. It's only a matter of time before they overwhelmed her.

'There's some fight in you missy, I give you that. But it's best you give up now. Don't want to damage that pretty face now, do we?' Shoot mocked from the side. He folded his hands and watched the battle gleefully. He knew he did not need to participate; the Legionnaires were more than enough for Natsumi who couldn't _henshin._

She wished Tsukasa were here. He would have wiped that ugly smile off that goon's face. Two of the Legionnaires grabbed her arms from behind and one kicked her behind the knee, forcing her to kneel down on one leg. She tugged her arms hard to free herself from her captors but to no avail.

'There she goes. Down to her knee. Not so much laughing anymore, huh?' Shoot said with a smirk so ugly it reminded her of a deformed monkey. Natsumi glared at him in rage, thinking of a million nasty things to say when a movement caught the corner of her eyes. She turned to find the man who handed her Tsukasa's picture in front of the saloon running up to the plaza, a look of shock on his face.

'No! Run! Get out of here!' Natsumi screamed. She cannot let an innocent get hurt because of her. She tried to squirm free but the demons held on to her tightly. 'Kiva-la, WHERE ARE YOU?!'

Shoot turned to face the man who had come to a stop just right outside the plaza. 'My my, what have we here? An unwanted visitor. This is a private party, invited guests only,' he said with an evil grin plastered to his face. He motioned for one Legionnaire to grab the poor man.

'What the hell.. ' the man said as the demon reached out towards him. To Natsumi's surprise, the man dodged in such great speed and kicked the demon on its back, sending it sprawling on the ground. Shoot's eyes grew wide in surprise and more Legionnaires moved in to attack.

'Don't! Don't worry about me. Just run!' Natsumi yelled at the man. He clearly ignored her and continued fighting the demons. He moved with such speed that evading their attacks seemed almost effortless. He grabbed hold on one of their spears and yanked it from the demon's hand and began using it as his own weapon. He parried and attacked, and it wasn't long before he sent each and every Legionnaire present flying to the ground.

'Does someone mind explaining to me what's all this?' the man called. Just then, the woman with wavy hair from the saloon came running up. 'Takumi, what's going on?' she said, a look of bizarre on her face.

'You tell me,' the man, Takumi, replied casually. He looked right at Shoot, who's face seemed to grow into a dark red.

'How absurd. Who the heck are you?!' Shoot bellowed at Takumi in rage.

'That's my line. Let her go,' Takumi said, gesturing towards Natsumi.

'She's my bounty. Go get your own!' Shoot yelled before a huge riffle materialised out of thin air and propped on his arms. He took aim and fired at Takumi, who quickly grabbed the saloon woman and jumped to the side. The bullet missed and hit the ground right where he stood moments ago, sending a huge spark on the stone ground. 'Jeez, stand still will ya'?!'

Takumi helped the saloon woman up on her feet before stepping right in front of her. 'Things about to get ugly huh?' he said, surprising Natsumi further with his calm demeanour. Whoever this man was, he just took on the demons without so much as panicking.

'Where's your belt, Takumi?' the saloon woman called.

'Left it at the cleaner's,' Takumi said, almost nonchalantly.

'WHAT? Takumi, how could you leave your belt around just like that?!'

'How would I know I would need it today?'

'God, you're hopeless. What should we do now?'

'Run would be an idea.'

Takumi began to charge after Shoot. The cowboy fired a few more rounds but Takumi evaded all with blinding speed. Natsumi began to think that such speed wasn't possible for a human, and within a few moments Takumi came right up to her and easily knocked away the two Legionnaires holding her captive.

'Get up and run. Now!'


	7. Chapter 6 - Natsumi

**NATSUMI**

Natsumi need not be told twice. She picked herself up as fast as possible and sprinted away from Takumi and the Legionnaires. She saw the saloon woman waving frantically for her to hurry and she with all her might, not daring to look back. She heard Shoot shouting curses and fired more shots from his riffle.

'Hurry! Come with me!' The woman reached out and grabbed Natsumi's hand and started pulling her along as they both made their way away from the plaza. Natsumi turned around and saw that Takumi was still distracting Shoot, moving around with amazing speed to evade his bullets. _Who is this guy?_ Natsumi thought silently as she ran.

The woman came to a sudden halt and Natsumi bumped into her from behind. She managed to balance herself from falling and looked up to see several Legionnaires blocking their escape. They both begin to back away as the demons slowly advanced. Natsumi darted her eyes sideways to look for a possible way out only to find more and more Legionnaires have begun to circle in on them.

'What do we do now?' Natsumi asked, her voice cracked from panic. The woman said nothing, but she tightened her grip on Natsumi's hand.

_There's no way I'm going to let innocents get hurt because of me_, Natsumi thought to herself. She took a deep breath and readied herself to surrender. Maybe then the demons will let the others go, though she doubted it.

Natsumi wasn't sure when but before she realised it a chopper was circling on the air right above them. The noise from the spinning blades alerted Natsumi and when she looked up she saw a man dressed in black military outfit sitting right at the passenger door with an assault riffle at hand. He took aim and began firing at the Legionnaires; Natsumi didn't think normal bullets would do the demons much harm but to her surprise the bullets sent the creatures flying back. The chopper lowered closer to the ground and the man kicked a rope ladder down from the open door. Both Natsumi and the woman looked at the man with their eyes wide open, stunned at what they just saw.

'Hurry up and get on! Unless you want to be skewered alive by these suckers!' the man shouted at them over the noise of the chopper blades.

The woman pulled Natsumi towards the ladder and urged her to climb onboard first. She did and the woman followed suit right behind her. When both of them were safely secured inside the chopper, Natsumi looked down and saw that Takumi was still amongst the demons. 'What about him?' Natsumi said to the military man.

'No time. We got to move.' he replied, signaling for the pilot to get going.

'Not an option. We're not leaving him behind!' the woman said, grabbing the man by his arm.

'If you want to go down there and rescue him, be my guest. But we're not waiting. Now let's move!'

The man slammed the door shut and ordered to pilot to get moving. Natsumi and the woman watched helplessly as the chopper began to make its way high up to the air. She saw Shoot pointing his riffle up at the chopper but Takumi slammed onto his side, knocking him down. Some of the demons began to advance on Takumi but she couldn't see what happened next as the chopper was already speeding away from the plaza.

A strong feeling of guilt overwhelmed Natsumi and she couldn't look the woman in the eyes. It was all her fault. The Legionnaires were after her and now someone else was in danger trying to save her. A stranger, who had no obligation to risk his own life for her. This just wasn't right. She searched her mind for the right thing to say.

'He'll be fine. Takumi will be alright,' the woman said to no one in particular, still gazing out the window. Natsumi didn't want to break it to her but despite Takumi's surprising speed and skills, he's just a human. No human could survive the Legion, at least not for long. She knew she wouldn't be able to.

Natsumi shifted her focus on the military man sitting right across her, a feeling of rage surging within her. She was grateful that he got them away from the demons but she was angry that he had chose to leave an unarmed man behind.

'Who are you people? Where are you taking us?' Natsumi asked in a tone that definitely wasn't friendly.

'Keep ya' hole shut. You'll find out soon enough.' the man replied without even looking at her; his attention trained at a strange black device he was holding in his hand. It was the size of a regular handphone. Perhaps a communicator of sorts. It was then that she took notice of the badge stitched on his uniform's breast pocket. It was a simple logo, grey in colour that read "SIGMA CORPORATION".

Her heart began to race. Whoever these people were working for were also possibly after her. She wasn't sure why but they could be dangerous. She definitely did not find comfort in the fact that she was just rescued from the Legion.

Natsumi turned to face the saloon woman who sat quietly beside her. She was still looing out at the sky. It seemed that she wasn't worried about where they're being taken. If she was she definitely didn't show it.

'Thank you for saving me back there. Both you and your friend. And I'm sorry for..' her voice trailed off. She couldn't find a proper way to finish that sentence. _Sorry for leaving your friend behind to die?_ Nope she couldn't say it out loud, despite knowing that to be the truth.

'You're welcome,' the woman replied. When I saw you left in such a hurry, I thought something was wrong and I went after you. I don't remember seeing you in the saloon before. You're.. just there. Wearing our uniform. Like you just appeared out of thin air. My friend, Takumi, happened to be there so I asked him to follow suit as well.'

'When we got to you, we saw those monsters attacking and we did what we could to save you. No regrets there,' she continued, looking Natsumi in the eyes. 'Whatever happened back there wasn't your fault. Though I wonder, why were those monsters after you?'

Natsumi's heart sank. She wanted to comfort the woman but didn't know how. Instead the woman comforted her, trying to ease out the feeling of guilt inside her. She wished she could tell her what was truly going on but she couldn't involve her any further. This was her problem. Her battles. Her danger.

'I'm Mari by the way. Sonoda Mari,' the woman said, reaching out to take Natsumi's hand.

'Natsumi. Hikari Natsumi.' She took Mari's hand and squeezed it.

'I would hate to interrupt such a heart-warming introduction but we'll be arriving soon. Buckle up,' the military dude said, almost mockingly.

Natsumi decided she really hate this guy. What's his problem anyway? Both she and Mari said nothing and did as told. She looked out the window on her right and saw that they're approaching a tall skyscraper building with a huge SIGMA logo perched on its roof.

'Where is this place?' Natsumi asked Mari, hoping she would know.

'Sigma Corporation. I figured that much,' Mari replied. 'They're a huge international corporation dealing in technology development for the country. They've got contracts with corporations nationwide as well as with the military. They practically have an army of their own.' She glared at the man who looked right back without saying anything.

'Why are they taking us there?'

'I guess we will find out soon enough,' Mari said grimly.

#####

Natsumi couldn't help but to feel amazed at how large the building was on the inside. The lobby itself was the size of a football field, decorated with white marble columns left and right. People, dressed in business attires bustled in and out, each seemingly engrossed in their own business. Nobody seemed to pay them much attention, the lady at the reception looked up briefly when they entered and returned to whatever she was doing soon after. Both she and Mari were directed into a glass elevator on the west end corner. There were five other people in that elevator but none seemed bothered by the fact that a weaponised military man was escorting two ladies up a corporate building.

To Natsumi's surprise, Mari looked rather calm with the whole situation. Everyone rode in silence as the elevator went up the floors. By the fifty-sixth floor, everyone else has got out and yet they're still going up. Natsumi figured that this building must have a hundred floors at least.

The elevator pulled to a stop at the ninety-seventh floor and the military men grabbed hold of Natsumi's arm and yanked her out.

'Ouch! What's your problem?!' Natsumi cried. She has had enough with this barbarian.

The man ignored her and continued pulling her along. He didn't even look back to see if Mari was coming along. They came up to a glass door and the man spoke into the intercom at the side, asking for permission to be let in. A green light lit up on the device and the man pushed open the door and pushed Natsumi inside.

Sitting behind a desk right across from her was a middle-aged man with grey hair dressed in a purple suit with a matching maroon tie. He looked at Natsumi and greeted her with wide-open arms and a huge smile.

'Ahhh welcome! Welcome welcome welcome! Please, no need to be alarmed,' the man said in a rather high pitched voice, which was kind of strange for a man his age. He sounded almost like an adolescent breaking into puberty.

Mari came right up beside Natsumi, her eyes fixed at the purple suit man. She had a look of rage on her face and Natsumi was worried she would jump and attack the man.

'Why are we here, Mr. Koji?' Mari said.

'Very nice to see you again Mari! How long has it been? Five years now?' the man replied, beaming. 'Oh, how rude of me. Let me properly introduce myself to our new guest. I am Koji Murai, president of Sigma Corporation.' The man took up and took a bow. 'Please, be seated. Both of you.'

Natsumi bowed back in courtesy but Mari just stood there, not shifting her gaze. She wasn't sure if she should take a seat but Mr. Koji continued smiling and gestured for them to do so. Natsumi decided to do as told and nudged Mari to do the same. Whoever this man was Natsumi wasn't ready to cross a man who owns a private army. Mari reluctantly comply and when they're both seated the military man came right up to the president.

'Will that be all, Mr. Koji?' he asked.

'Ah, forgive me again. This is Cross, my Chief of Security and Defense,' Mr. Koji said to the two of them. 'Not the friendliest chap out there but he's the best at what he does. And yes, that will be all.'

Cross gave a slight bow and made his way out of the office. He gave Natsumi a quick glance before closing the door.

Natsumi shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Her hairdresser outfit seemed a tad bit too tight and she found it difficult to breathe. Mr. Koji returned to his seat across from them, his smile never once faded. 'I am sure you both have many questions in your mind but please, hear me out.'

Natsumi's heart jumped and skipped a beat when Mari slammed her hand on the desk and stood up. 'What do you want from us, Koji? Let us go this instant!' she yelled.

Mr. Koji raised both hands up as if surrendering. 'Relax, my love. You look absolutely gorgeous by the way when you get mad. I understand you're furious about leaving your friend behind but –'

'So it was _you_?! You ordered that we be brought in and Takumi be left behind?!' Mari shouted. Her face was red with anger.

'I had no choice. Both of you are my priorities. The rest are.. expendable, to say the least,' the president replied calmly, the smile still plastered on his face though Natsumi noticed a shift in his tone.

'Whatever you're scheming, you can forget about it. We're leaving,' Mari said and began to make her way to the door. She stopped when she noticed Natsumi wasn't moving. 'Come on, Natsumi. Let's go.'

'I'm afraid, Ms. Sonoda, that you can't leave. Not just yet,' the president said while leaning forward on his desk. His smile finally faded; his expression now difficult to read. 'We got a world to save.'

Natsumi could feel her eyes grew wider at that claim. She glanced back and forth between Mr. Koji and Mari, not entirely sure what was going on. It's obvious to her now that these two knew each other and whatever history they had, it wasn't pretty.

'Please, return to your seat and let me explain. We don't have much time to waste,' Mr. Koji said. He gestured towards the chair beside Natsumi, his face giving a clear _I won't take no for an answer_ look.

Natsumi was sure Mari would storm out of the office and possibly got them both into greater danger but instead she returned to her seat slowly.

'Now, that's a good girl. Let's start from the beginning, shall we?' Mr. Koji's smile returned, though Natsumi figured by now that he wasn't genuinely pleased with them both. He returned his look to Natsumi, his gaze sharp as a serpent's.

'Ms. Hikari, first and foremost, welcome to our world. I wouldn't say it's a paradise but perhaps just slightly better than the monster-filled ones. Rest assured you'll be safe here, at least for now. We have enough firepower to keep those monsters who were after you at bay.' He paused, still smiling, and shifted his gaze to Mari before returning back to Natsumi. 'I know you must wonder how I knew about them, and most importantly, about you. I'll explain fully in due time, but first take a look at these.'

Mr. Koji opened a drawer on the right side of his desk and took out a stack of about a dozen photographs. He handed them over to Natsumi. Her eyes grew wide in terror when she saw what's on the pictures. Mari shifted closer by her side to look at them as well.

On the first photograph was a shot of monsters attacking people on an open park. The creatures weren't the Legionnaires; in fact they look almost insect-like. They're all identical except that some had red patches on parts of their body while some had green. Natsumi's hands shivered as she slowly look at the pictures one by one. Each had a different shot of monster attacks at various locations, some right outside a café and some at an open plaza. Most of the monsters were the same grey insect ones but there were those who looked completely different. One was a mixture of blue and brown in colour and looked like a mutated deer.

'What are these?' Natsumi demanded, looking up at the smiling president.

'Inves, that's what they're called. Inhabitants of a world known as Helheim. Just over a year ago, they terrorised the city of Zawame in a parallel world like ours. They were set on destroying the world but were ultimately stopped by the Riders of that world.'

Natsumi's heart was racing faster than ever. _Who is this guy? How did he came to know about other worlds and the Riders? What does he want from them?_

'They weren't the only ones we know about. Worms, Undead, Greeds, Fangires. We knew all about the monsters and the Riders who fought them. We have kept close monitor on them all these years. And now we know the most dangerous one of them all are rising. The one known as Armageddon.'

'What on earth are you talking about? What's all this?' Mari asked.

'Patience. Perhaps you're unaware about the existence of other monsters and Riders out there. Well, now you do. There's more than just Faiz and Orphenochs, Ms. Sonoda. Out there exist many parallel worlds much like ours; most are a whole lot more dangerous as well. Ask our friend here. She knows all about them, doesn't she?' Mr. Koji gestured towards Natsumi, who sat there too stunned to say a single word.

But something else hit her. _Faiz and Orphenochs_, he had said. Takumi.. FAIZ! Takumi _is_ Faiz! She had ended up in the world of Faiz without her even knowing it!

Years ago, Natsumi had accompanied Tsukasa in his journey to the A.R. World of Faiz. They had befriended and saved the Takumi of that world and helped defeat the Orphenochs causing chaos. But they also found out that A.R. Takumi was an Orphenoch himself. Does this mean that the Takumi in this world..

Natsumi turned to look at Mari who stared right back at her with a look of confusion. She didn't know how to explain herself; in fact she was pretty much confused herself at what was going on.

Mr. Koji's voice brought Natsumi's attention back to him. 'The explanation on Ms. Hikari's identity can come later. What I'm about to show you next is of utmost importance and I need your undivided attention.' He stood up and closed the shades of the window behind him. The room was cast in an eerie shadow and a monitor on the left wall lit up. Both Natsumi and Mari shifted their focus on the screen, which was now glowing with blue neon light.

'What you're about to see is the future of not just this world but of all the worlds,' Mr. Koji said with his unfading smile which just got to a new level of creepy in the shadows. 'This is what will save humanity. Let me introduce to you, Project Ragnarok.'


	8. Chapter 7 - Natsumi

**NATSUMI**

Natsumi never liked the chatty, sarcastic white bat but she really wished Kiva-la was around. That way she could have transformed and possibly make a break out from this place. Wait. If she could transform she wouldn't be here at all. She could've defeated the Legionnaires by herself.

Or she could've been skewered alive and killed. Urgh.

Mr. Koji's static smile really creeped Natsumi out. As the monitor glowed the shadow flickered and danced on his face, making the middle-aged man looked malicious and sinister. Natsumi tried her best to keep her focus on the screen. What she saw next freaked her out even more.

A translucent logo of SIGMA CORPORATION appeared on screen and fades out almost as quickly. Taking its place is a 3D rendering image of a sophisticated belt. Not just any belt. It was unmistakable. It's the belt of a Rider.

'What you're seeing is the future of humanity,' Mr. Koji said then paused, still smiling and looking at both Natsumi and Mari as if expecting them to raise their hands to ask questions. When that didn't happen, he continued.

'A decade ago, when Sigma Corporation was rising up from the ashes we discovered an anomaly – an anomaly that we now called the "singularity point". We do not know where it came from but through it, we discovered the many parallel worlds out there. '

Despite the coldness of the room, Natsumi could feel sweat beading down her forehead. Mari sat still in silence, her eyes trained directly at Mr. Koji.

'You see, the "singularity point" is akin to a wormhole, serving as a bridge between worlds. Its potentials are unlimited; it continues to grow over time and connect more worlds together. It's as if it has a life of its own. I'm telling you, it's magical.'

He paused again and when no one said anything, his smile faded slightly, as if he's disappointed that no one shared his enthusiasm. He cleared his throat loudly before resuming. 'We spent the early years studying it but found nothing. Not of its origin or how it came to be. Finally we decided that perhaps we're not meant to study it, but of the worlds it's showing us.'

Mr. Koji waved his hand over the monitor and the scene shifted to show various recorded footages of people, probably scientists, dressed in white jumpsuit conducting research in a strange grey tunnel-like hallway. 'We pulled all our resources into developing actual bridges, named the Bifrost, and began our studies on the various worlds. In time we have garnered much valuable data, which was then used to kick start project Ragnarok.'

'I'm sure by now you're wondering what_ is_ project Ragnarok. Through our years of research, we have come to learn of the various "threats" plaguing the worlds. Most of them were stopped by their respective Riders but just over two years ago we discovered something far more dangerous than anything we've ever seen.'

Natsumi gripped the edge of her seat. If Mr. Koji was hoping to get their interest, well, he definitely got hers. She turned to glance at Mari and saw that her expression remained unchanged. She wondered how was Mari able to remain so calm in face of all this.

'The "singularity point" showed us a distant world – a world NOT in parallel to ours. It was a world of barren wastelands, covered in eternal darkness. In it lies the most evil of all beings – an existence born out of pure hatred. Ms. Hikari, I am most certain you know what I'm talking about.'

Natsumi was sure her face must be as pale as a ghost by then. Both Mari and Mr. Koji looked at her but she wasn't sure what to say. She hated the slight smirk on the man's face, as if he was delighted to put Natsumi in an awkward position. 'I.. you can't possibly mean..' she said, stammering and afraid to finish her sentence.

Mr. Koji's eyes lit up in excitement. 'Bingo! That is _exactly_ what I mean. The harbinger of doom. The embodiment of all evil. ARMAGEDDDON.' He raised both his hands up mid-air, as if he had just reached the climax of a stage performance. He paused, as if anticipating applauses. Well, he got none.

'This is crazy. You're out of your mind. Natsumi, let's go.' Mari stood up and took Natsumi's hand, urging her to do the same. But Natsumi froze in her chair; her heart beating ten times faster. _How? How did this man know about Armageddon? Who is he and what is this company really? _

Mr. Koji's smile faded to almost a near frown. He straightened his tie and adjusted his purple suit. 'Project Ragnarok is our solution –' he waved his hand over the screen and the image of the belt returned. 'This. The belt that will give birth to the strongest Rider in existence – in all the worlds.'

Natsumi got on her feet – but it wasn't to run. She had had enough. She needed answers. 'Hold on.. how? How did you come to know about _it_? About Armageddon?'

Mr. Koji's smile returned slightly. 'Like I said, using the Bitfrost we have conducted years of research on other worlds. We remained hidden, secluded, studying the worlds in the shadows. Our presence must not be known for we couldn't risk the discovery of the "singularity point". If the wrong people get their hands on it, who knows what will happen. Hence it has to remain in our care, in the right hands.'

'When we discovered this Dark World, we were precarious about its potential threats. When our team discovered what was brewing in it, we knew it was only a matter of time before it rises completely and devour all worlds. Thus, a plan was made. A plan to save mankind. We took the risk and continued to study it in hopes of understanding it further, so that we will be able to stop it. But we got over confident in our ability to maintain discreet.'

His eyes had a hollow look, like he was thinking far into the distance. His voice lost its high pitch cheery tone; his facial expression turned solemn. 'Our men were discovered and none of them made it out alive. Those demons.. they slaughtered every last one of them.'

'We had no choice but to blow up the Bitfrost in an attempt to keep the demons from discovering the "singularity point". But the demons had other ways of travelling between worlds and it was only a matter of time before they get here. What happened earlier, well, it's safe to say you led them here, Ms. Hikari. You led them to our world.'

Natsumi's body turned stone cold. He was right. She did lead the demons here, condemning this world. In fact, every time she ran from them to another world, she was showing the demons more of the worlds out there. More for them to destroy and devour. Narutaki had called Tsukasa the destroyer of worlds. Perhaps that title would befit her more.

Overwhelming guilt began to drown Natsumi. Mari let go of her hand and took a step back, as if finally realising the danger that Natsumi's presence had brought to everyone.

'I had no choice. I had to lead them somewhere where I could fight them with the least casualties.' But even as Natsumi said the words, she knew she was only making excuses. She knew it since the day she started running from the Legionnaires. Ever since she had taken upon the quest to defeat Armageddon, she knew she had to take risks. She had to make sacrifices and bear the sins on her shoulder.

Natsumi closed her eyes and steady herself. She needed to pull herself together. Everything that has happened in the last few hours was insane but she needed to get a grip. She had to stay focus on her quest. Her mission to find Tsukasa and defeat Armageddon.

'What is he talking about, Natsumi? What's all this madness, about demons and other worlds? None of this makes any sense!' Mari cried.

Natsumi turned to face Mari. 'I'm sorry, I really am. I will explain everything in due time. I promise.' She returned her gaze to Mr. Koji. 'You. You said that belt your solution against Armageddon. How?'

The president smiled in glee. 'Ohhhhhh. That's it. That's the fire I'm looking for, Ms. Hikari. For you to look pass these confusion and focus on what really matters. We have limited time, Ms. Hikari. Every minute we waste is one step closer to oblivion.'

The diagram on the screen began to shift, forming the outline of an armored suit. The suit of a Rider.

'Project Ragnarok was based on years of endless research. Like I said, we studied discreetly on the worlds that we discovered, on the monsters and Riders in them. We looked into their powers; monitoring, collecting samples. At last, we have enough data to create the single Rider Belt that will be give birth to the strongest Rider, Kamen Rider Elyxir!'

Natsumi focused her attention on the fully formed diagram of the suit – its armor were sleek and appeared extremely mobile, complete with two protruding shoulder plates. Its helmet had a regal look to it and was divided into two portions – an outer frame that gave it its shape and the inner frame where the visor was located. The suit comes with a cloak on its back, long and majestic looking. Even though it hadn't been materialised yet, Natsumi could already feel its power – strong and uncompromising. The name "ELYXIR" played on screen.

'This is what's going to stop Armageddon?' Natsumi said, half-asking and half-putting it together in her mind.

'The Elyxir Belt is yet to be completed but I can assure you once it comes to be, nothing in existence can match its power. For years we have analysed the battles and powers of the Riders from various worlds, their strengths, battle techniques and weaknesses all put together to form the perfect belt. What you see here will be a Rider without weakness – a God amongst Riders!'

It was only for a brief moment but Natsumi caught a glimpse of madness in the eyes of Mr. Koji. She could feel the excitement in his voice, the pride of creating and putting together the strongest Belt.

'This is crazy. I'm not believing a word you said, Koji Murai. I know you. You're a snake. Natsumi, listen to me. He's –'

'Whatever that was between us, Ms. Sonoda, I can assure you it's the least of my concern right now. The world – our world – hangs in the balance of chaos. Even as we speak, the evil continues to brew in Dark World. Armageddon is getting stronger by the minute and his army of demons continues to advance and conquered worlds after worlds! It knew only the Riders will have the power to stand against it – which is why it plans to turn the worlds of the Riders into nothingness, one by one. It would not let the Riders be united – it will take the Riders down individually, right in their own world. And you, Ms. Hikari, have led the demons to the world of Faiz, and it won't be long before this world will become nothing but an empty void of darkness.'

Mr. Koji paused, and when no one said anything he continued. 'Now with the fate of Faiz himself unknown, it became certain that Project Ragnarok is all we have left to save this world. We need to hasten its completion before Armageddon's forces strike. And that is why you're here for, Ms. Hikari.'

'Me? What do you want from me?' Natsumi asked.

'To complete the Elyxir Belt, we would require certain treasures from various worlds of the Riders. Five very powerful artifacts, to be exact and we already have four of them in possession. We only need one last artifact, and you're going to help us to get it. Come, walk with me.'

Mr. Koji gestured to the door and began making his way out. Natsumi looked at Mari, who shook her head and silently mouthed _don't_. Natsumi wasn't sure what history did these two had with each other and she didn't like nor trust that man any more than Mari did but she knew one thing for sure – if there's a way to stop Armageddon, she wants to hear it. She took a deep breath and followed the president out the door.


	9. Chapter 8 - Natsumi

**NATSUMI**

Natsumi hated her college campus tour. And she certainly did not like walking through a science laboratory the size of a coliseum. It made her feel small and insignificant.

Mr. Koji led both Mari and her into a vast room filled with men and women in white robes working on various systems and machineries. Most regarded Mr. Koji but paid the ladies no attention, which was fine for Natsumi. There were at least several dozens of computers, all seemingly running some kind of diagnosis. Natsumi didn't know much about science but she knew it had to be studies on the wormhole, or "singularity point" as they called it. At the center-corner of the room stood a large panel with a computer screen the size of a giant stadium monitor, with a row of regular sized ones lined at the bottom. On the giant screen were several pop-up windows; each displaying footages and information on various parts of a ruined grey tunnel.

A man looking to be about in his late twenties went up to them. He had messy hair, sunken eyes and wore a grey shirt underneath his white robe. He looked like he haven't slept in weeks.

'Mr. Koji, it's bad. It's really bad.' He turned to look at the strangers. 'May I speak with you alone?'

'It's okay, my boy Tetsuya. You can speak here. There shall be no secrets with our guests,' Mr. Koji replied with a smile, however, his eyes were hard and serious.

Tetsuya gave Natsumi another cautious glare before continuing. 'Sir, we've tried to stabilise the "singularity point" ever since we blew up the Bitfrost but nothing seemed to be working. The reality shift is off-balance and any attempt to repair the damage to the Bitfrost has been unsuccessful.'

'Do we have any alternatives?' Mr. Koji asked.

'Not at the moment. Sir, we have tried every possible solution but nothing seemed to work. It's too risky for anyone to go out there into the "singularity point". We're grounded.'

Mr. Koji let out a long sigh. He shook his head and turned to face Natsumi and Mari.

'This is why we need you, Ms. Hikari. As you can see, the Bitfrost is gone. We can't risk the demons discovering it, so when our men lost their cover we blew the whole Bitfrost to pieces. The force from the explosion distorted the wormhole; in other words the reality shift inside the "singularity point" has gone out of control. If we were to enter it in its current state there's no telling which world we will wind up in. For all we know we could end up right on the Armageddon's doorstep.'

'Your main point being?' Mari asked.

'To complete the Belt, we would require one last piece – the Hope Ring. Tetsuya, bring it up on the main screen.'

The man did as told and they shifted their focus onto the large monitor. Several images came up; all of them showed the same young man who looked about Natsumi's age. He had dark brown hair and wore a black leather jacket over a flower print top and red chinos. One of the images showed him kneeling on the ground, his face crying in agony and his hand holding a single ring with a pink-coloured gemstone. Natsumi wondered what could possibly cause him so much pain.

'That is the Hope Ring. A powerful artifact that embodies the strongest of magic. The absolute perfect final piece to the puzzle, one that will make the Elyxir Belt virtually unstoppable,' Mr. Koji said with a wide smile.

Natsumi stared at the image for a long time. She could hardly believe something so small could so powerful.

'And who is that man? Is he the owner?' Mari asked.

'Ahh yes. His name is Souma Haruto. Kamen Rider Wizard, as they called him. The warrior of magic.'

'He's a Rider too? How many are there?' Mari said.

'Plenty. But that's not the point. The point is we need that ring that is in his possession. Without it, the Belt could not be completed. However, we could no longer use the "singularity point" to get to his world. God knows how long it will take before it stables down and we don't have that much time. The demons are probably mounting their forces to prepare an attack on this world and we will be defenseless. Unless –'

'Unless the Belt is completed. We get that,' Natsumi interrupted. 'So you want me to go to his world and retrieve the ring?'

'Bingo! After we destroyed the Bitfrost, we knew there's only one other way left. The world-traveling Kamen Rider Decade and his companions. Unfortunately, we lost sight of both Decade and Diend. When we saw you entering our world, we knew we had to get to you at all cost. Even if it means losing a Rider of our own.'

'How dare you?! Takumi is still alive, I'm sure! He will –' Mari began to protest.

'The power of Faiz will not be enough! The Faiz Belt is obsolete! Smart Brain had their time; they were at the peak once. But that was a long time ago. We need something far sophisticated than what we had a decade prior.'

Mari's face was red with anger. Not that Natsumi could blame her. She felt a heavier pang of guilt; that someone else's life had to be sacrificed for her sake. She gave Mr. Koji a dirty look.

'Well, sorry to disappoint you but I can't do it. I can't travel between worlds. Not anymore.'

'Ms. Hikari, I'm not sure you understand what's at stake here. If you won't –' Mr. Koji began.

'I know! But I can't, not that I won't. Both Tsukasa and Kaito were the world-travellers, not me. I don't have that kind of power, not until recently when Narutaki gave it to me. But for some reason, when I got here, I lost that power. I wanted to continue leading the Legionnaires to another world but I can't. I'm stuck here and that's when they caught up to me and attacked.'

Nobody said anything. There was a long moment of silence, and Mr. Koji kept darting his eyes back and forth between Natsumi and Mari, as if trying to decide whom he should screamed at. His smile faded entirely and after what seemed like forever, he finally let out a long sigh.

'If that's so, then all is lost. You're our only hope and if you can't do it, then we're doomed. We're all doomed.'

'Is there no other way? Like maybe a different "singularity point" or something?

'If there was, we would have found it already. We wouldn't be here asking for your help,' Tetsuya snapped.

Mr. Koji raised his hand. 'Can you find a way, Ms. Hikari? You said this Narutaki gave you the power. Can you find him? Ask him to give you the same power again?'

'I don't know. It's not like we're friends or anything. Usually he finds us.'

Mari stepped up. 'We need to go back and get Takumi. I'm sure he's alive and he will be able to figure something out. He always does. He will be able to fight off the demons. Trust me.'

'My apologies, Ms. Sonoda. I mean it. I am truly sorry about Mr. Inui. But reality is that the demons are way over his league. Besides, if he's alive I'm sure he will find you. Tetsuya, rally the team. Get everyone working three times as hard and figure out a way to stabilise the "singularity point".

Tetsuya bowed and made his leave. The rest of them stood there without saying a word. Mari looked devastated, probably confused about the whole situation and worried about Takumi at the same time. Natsumi felt useless. She still didn't like Mr. Koji but she could sort of understand his reasoning. These people had found out about Armageddon, an evil so powerful bend on destroying all worlds. They had a possible solution but they will need her help. And there she was, completely powerless to do anything. Then she remembered the silly bat.

'My bat. Kiva-la. Well, she wasn't technically mine but she was the source of my Rider power. And more importantly Narutaki sent her to me. She's been missing ever since I got to this world but if we could find her, maybe she could help us locate Narutaki!' Natsumi said. She could begin to see a slight tint of hope, a light at the end of a dark tunnel.

Mr. Koji' gave her a doubtful look. 'And how do you suggest we find this bat of yours if you couldn't?'

'I'm not sure but at least it's something. I thought you people have eyes everywhere. Maybe you could mobilise your forces or something to search for Kiva-la,' Natsumi protested. She knew very well the chances were slim but she refused to give in to despair. Suddenly the alarm went blazing.

'What's going on? Tetsuya!' Mr. Koji cried.

'Sir, it's the "singularity point". It.. it's expanding!' he yelled back.

Mr. Koji rushed over to Tetsuya's side while other people in the room chattered and ran around frantically. Natsumi gave Mari a puzzled look and both of them made their way towards the president. She did not understand anything she saw on the screen but with the numerous alerts flashing, she knew it could be anything but good.

'How is it expanding? Explain!' Mr. Koji shouted over the deafening blast of sirens.

'The portals leading to various worlds. They're colliding against each other. Each time two portals came in contact, they expand the "singularity point". At this rate its going, it's only a matter of time before this instability pours out and consume the surface world!' Tetsuya's voice brittle with panic.

Mr. Koji's shoulders slumped. He took several steps back, his right hand holding the side of his lungs as if he was about to experience a severe heart attack.

'What in the world is going on here? Why is this happening?!' Mari shouted over to Tetsuya, who looked at her with a deadly stare like it was somehow her fault.

'We're dealing with forces we barely understand. Of course there will be risks. We tried studying the "singularity point" but that never worked out. When we blew the bridges, we triggered something in there. We haven't been able to fully control it ever since. Maybe.. maybe we never did from the beginning. We thought we control it, but maybe now it's showing us who really is in control.' Tetsuya's voice faltered and he too took several steps backwards. He scanned the room, looking at all his co-workers frantically working in panic to assess the situation.

'How much time?' Mr. Koji asked.

'Couple of days. A week at most. I don't know. The numbers are jumping and it's expanding fast. If we don't shut it down, it will destroy this world inside out.'

'Then what are we waiting for? Shut it down!' Mari cried.

'He meant blowing up the "singularity point". With force twice the one we used to blow up the Bitfrost. But there's no guarantee it will even work. For all we know, we could accelerate its expansion rate and doom us all instantly. Too many variables,' Mr. Koji said in a low voice.

Natsumi felt her body shaking from fear. She barely grasped what was going on and now the world she is in is going to blow up on her? Talk about rotten luck. 'Is there absolutely no other way?' she asked.

'No. Blowing it up is our only option but there's no guarantee it will work. And even if we do go down that path.. –' Tetsuya paused and looked at Natsumi directly in the eyes. 'We do not have enough power source to do it, unless we get our hands on the Hope Ring. It's magic would definitely suffice.'

'In other words, there _is_ nothing we can do.' Mari cupped her hands around her face and closed her eyes. She then walked over to the end corner of the room and stood there.

Natsumi's heart raced twice as fast. A thought.. a deadly thought crossed her mind. A death wish, but it could potentially save this world and everything in it.

'I can go,' she began, desperately trying to calm herself down enough to speak properly. 'I can enter the singularity point. Try and find my way to that world.. the World of Wizard.'

'That's ridiculous. The "singularity point" was unstable before but now it's growing out of proportion. Who knows what would happen if you enter it now. You might end up dead before you could even get anywhere near the ring or you could be lost in a world so far off and there did be no way of getting back here. It's impossible,' Tetsuya protested.

'If I stay here and do nothing, we did all die anyway. Either from this or when the Legion strike. Either way, this world is doomed,' Natsumi protested. 'Look. I will find a way. Whichever world I end up in, I will find a way. Narutaki.. that man once said I'm needed to put a stop to Armageddon. He didn't exactly say how, or why, other than telling me to gather up the other Riders but if what he said is true then I'm sure he will find me again, wherever I am. And when he does, I will make sure to get my powers back and I can travel between worlds once again, get to the ring and get back here.'

There was a long silence and Mr. Koji seemed to be in deep thoughts, possibly weighing his options.

'Assuming you survived and got back here in time,' Mr. Koji said, his voice so low Natsumi could barely hear him over the noise. 'Assuming that we managed to stall the expansion as long as possible, until you return. IF you do return.'

Natsumi looked over to Mari. Guilt rippled through her heart like violent streams of a river. She doomed this world the moment she stepped foot here. She even had the Rider of this world sacrificed himself to save her and now his fate is unknown.

_Travel the worlds like Decade did and gather the Riders. United in arms you all must, if you're to stand against Armageddon and his forces. _

Those are the words Narutaki said to her on the day he sent Natsumi on this bizarre journey. She has yet to gather a single Rider and now her journey might end just here. _No. It can't end like this. I have the responsibility to save this world and the people in it_.

She owed it to Mari, who had to watch her friend Takumi risked his life for a stranger. She remembered the Mari from the A.R. World of Faiz. She was extremely close to the Takumi of that world and there could be more than just friendship between those two. Maybe it's the same in this world as well.

'I will go. It's a huge risk, but there's no other way. If I succeed, not only will there be a chance to prevent this destruction, but you would also have the final piece in completing that belt,' Natsumi said firmly. She had hardened her resolve and was hoping to convey it in her voice.

Mr. Koji looked at Natsumi long and hard before saying, 'Fine. You are our only hope anyway.'

'But sir –'

'Unless you can come up with a better plan, Tetsuya, I suggest you let this go. Ms. Hikari, follow me. I will lead you to the opening of the "singularity point". From there on, you're on your own.'


	10. Chapter 9 - Shotaro

**SHOTARO**

Shotaro hated the paranormal. As one of the world's leading (probably the very best but got to have some modesty here) private detective, he had his fair share of supernatural happenings. As Kamen Rider Double, he had fought countless Dopants. Some had been ridiculously bizarre – one had tried to bite off his partner Philip's head like some puppy playing with its chew toy. There was even one who had the power to poison its enemies with smelly fart-like gas. Sick.

But nothing gave Shotaro the worst chill like the dead. Once, he had fought against a Dopant with the ability to take the form of a person's closest deceased. That very Dopant became Kamen Rider Skull – Shotaro's mentor (and the only person he would ever reckon as better than him, although it's largely debatable now) who gave his life fighting to protect Fuuto – their beloved city.

Dealing with an actual ghost – now that was a completely different kind of spooky. The day had begun in quite a normal fashion – as normal as being a Kamen Rider could get. Shotaro was comfortably tucked behind his desk, typing away in his favourite typewriter to fill out a recent missing iguana case he solved. Philip was engrossed in his research on spicy yakisoba, his latest fascination. It was a peaceful, quiet afternoon – after all, it's not everyday that they're left alone by Akiko, their very loud and aggressive chief. She and Terui had been busy prepping for their child's first birthday. They had named the boy Sokichi in honour after Akiko's father and both Shotaro and Philip were made his godfathers.

With Museum defeated, the Dopant threat had been minimal ever since. Months had gone by without a single Dopant incident. Fuuto was peaceful at last, but Shotaro couldn't shake away the dreadful feeling that it was only temporary. He had had nightmares about Fuuto being thrown right back into chaos. He hadn't spoken to anyone about it, not even to Philip.

Shotaro was at the finishing sentence when a loud knock came upon the door. Usually, he would be all geared up and excited at the anticipation of a new case – but not today. He had hoped to wrap things up early and went over to help Akiko with the preparations.

Whoever was at the door banged impatiently three times more. 'Hold on,' Shotaro called as he made his way to the door. He was greeted by four men dressed in identical black military outfits and behind them stood a middle-aged man in purple suit.

'Hidari Shotaro?' one of the military guy asked. He had a close-cropped hair tucked neatly underneath a black hat.

'One and only. What can I do for you lads?'

''We have come with a request.' Before Shotaro could say anything, the men in black pushed past him and made their way into the room.

'HEY!'

'Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Hidari,' the man in purple said. He had a wide smile plastered onto his face; his eyes gleamed with excitement.

'Who are you people? You can't just barge in here without permission!' Shotaro was normally very polite to his clients but these guys already got on his bad side.

'Come, young man. Let us take a seat,' the purple man said, ignoring Shotaro's protest. He made his way across the room to the large sofa couch and sat down, gesturing for Shotaro to do the same. Instead he held his ground, glaring at these men with utter dislike.

'Sit,' the close-cropped guy ordered.

'I prefer to stand, thank you. And I don't take orders from trespassers in my own Agency. Now tell me, who the heck are you guys supposed to be?'

The purple man chuckled, as if somehow entertained by Shotaro's defiance. 'Such fire in you, Mr. Hidari. I like that. We are your clients and we need you to help us to retrieve a prized possession.' His unwearied smile gave Shotaro the creeps.

'Clients? We'll see about that. First off, you people need to learn some basic manners. Customer service doesn't work that way. If there's one thing I can't tolerate, it's –' he was interrupted by Mr. Cropped-Hair who grabbed him by the shoulder.

'Nobody shows disrespect to Mr. Koji,' he said sternly. These men all wore black shades so Shotaro couldn't see their eyes but he could safely assume this one was giving him the death stare.

'Get your hand off me. Now.'

'Now now, boys, there's no need to get rough. Let go of Mr. Hidari,' Mr. Koji ordered, still smiling. _What's with this guy and his never-ending smile?_ Shotaro wondered silently. The man did as told and stepped back. Shotaro straightened his waistcoat and shifted his focus back to the purple man.

'What kind of request, exactly?'

'An important one. The fate of the world depends on it,' he said, his smile grew ever wider.

#####

Philip was highly unaware of the commotion upstairs, which didn't surprise Shotaro one bit. When the kid was obsessed over something, it took most of his concentration and the surrounding world fades away. Many times he had to fight alone as Kamen Rider Joker because his most reliable partner was enthralled by the most common of delicacies. Best. Partnership. Ever.

It took Shotaro a lot of persuasion to get him out of the RevolGarry and it took even more effort to shut him up from his grumblings and complaints about the disruption of his near breakthrough discovery on the secret of producing the world's best spicy yakisoba. The creepy-smiling Mr. Koji chuckled delightedly at their nonsensical bickering.

When they have all settled down, however, Mr. Koji's request immediately got Philip's attention.

'First off, let me introduce myself. My name is Koji Murai, president of Sigma Corporation. I have heard many stories of your.. excellent accomplishments. Hence, I believed the two of you would be best suited for this particular assignment I had in mind.'

'Sigma Corporation? Never heard of it,' Shotaro said.

'How intriguing,' Philip remarked.

'We are not from Fuuto, so to speak. We came here long and far to seek out your expertise. Particularly you, young Philip, or should I call you by your real name, Sonozaki Raito?' Mr. Koji said with a smile so wide it reminded Shotaro of a dental commercial.

Philip's body tensed upon hearing that name. It was Philip's real name, the name he went by before he fell into a well connecting to the true Gaia Memory when he was a child. Despite gaining back his memories, he never returned to using that name, preferring to go by Philip. Nobody else knew about his past other than Shotaro and their closest friends.

'How did you know of that name?' Shotaro asked before Philip could. He did not like these men at all.

'We at Sigma Corporation know many things,' Mr. Koji began. 'We know the two of you form the single Kamen Rider Double. We know about this Agency, about your friends; your entire life story so to speak. How we got these information is irrelevant for now. What's important is this request we have for you.'

Shotaro wasn't going to let this rest but Philip grabbed hold of him before he could say anything else.

'Continue on, Mr. Koji. What is this request you speak of?' he asked, surprising Shotaro at how calm he sounded.

The middle-aged man adjusted his indigo coloured bowtie and straightened himself as if he was about to give a lecture on how-to-maintain-your-smiles-twenty-four-seven. 'To retrieve the Jewel of Hekate, is what I ask of you.'

'The _Jewel of Hapipi_?'

'Hekate. The ancient goddess of magic, witchcraft and necromastery. Legend has it that she once gave her blessing to a young man in the form of a black jewel, which contains a portion of her powers. I want you to retrieve that very jewel.'

'Whoa. Hold it right there, Purple-Man. I have heard about a lot of crazy things but goddess of magic? We are private detectives, not hocus-pocus relic chaser.'

'Well, you chased after lost pets,' Mr. Koji protested.

'That's different. At least they're real living things, not some fairytale I haven't even heard of until you showed up. Philip, let's get these guys outta – ' his voice trailed off when he saw his partner's eyes closed, his body still and barely breathing.

Shotaro knew what that meant. Philip's mind had entered the Gaia Library.

'_Interesting.._' his voice whispered in Shotaro's mind. '_It does exist_.'

'_You found it_?'

'_Yes. But the pages are empty. Not a single line of information.. however if the book exists, so does the jewel_.'

'_You're not suggesting that we take this job and look for it, are you_?'

'_Why not? I'm intrigued by it. Such mystery. Are you not, Shotaro_?'

'_I have a bad feeling about this. I don't like these guys. Something about them doesn't feel quite right_.'

'_I sensed it too. But let's play along, Shotaro. Find out what they're up to. If they turn out to be the bad guys.._'

'_I'll take them out_.'

'_You mean __**we**__ will take them out_.'

'_Now that's a plan_.'

The president cleared his throat. 'May I know the meaning of this silence?'

Shotaro gave the man the coolest look he could conjure. 'You got yourself your detectives. Now let us know more about this jewel and where you want us to start looking.'


	11. Chapter 10 - Shotaro

**SHOTARO**

'I can't believe I let you talked me into this,' Shotaro muttered not quite softly as both he and Philip made their way up the sloppy dark hill. They were close to the mountainous border of Fuuto, where a seemingly endless rocky terrain spread wide and far towards the horizon.

On their left, the sun had already set, casting long eerie shadows over the side of the mountain. The gravel-filled path made it a challenge to stay quiet and discreet. Shotaro's heart skipped a beat whenever their shoes crunched loudly on dead leaves.

Over to their right, the howling winds had died down. As night descended upon the Earth, silence encompassed their surroundings. Shotaro could hear nothing else apart from his own heartbeat and their (occasionally) loud footsteps. He had this feeling that they were being watched but at the same time he could not sense the presence of anyone or anything else nearby. As they made their way deeper into the now pitch-black woods, Shotaro couldn't help but to regret over his decision to help those sneaky men of questionable origins.

'Philip, this could be a mistake,' he began.

His partner chuckled. 'Please tell me you're not afraid of the dark, Shotaro.'

'Of course not!' Shotaro snapped. 'I'm saying that this whole thing is a bad idea. We could be walking into some kind of trap.'

Philip stopped so suddenly in his track that Shotaro ran right into him. 'What the..'

'Shh. There are voices up ahead. We're not alone.'

Before Shotaro could say anything else, Philip ducked under the tall bushes and continued moving forward.

'Jeez. Reckless as always.' Shotaro took one last glance at his surroundings. The trees were as still as the night. It was the last night of autumn before winter but the air was dry and hot. Sweat bead down his temples and he had no choice but to remove his black fedora hat. He was dressed in a purple shirt with a black waistcoat on top coupled with black slacks and shoes. He felt that he blended pretty well into the night compared to Philip, who opted to enter with a black shirt and a contradicting bright-as-day purple sleeveless cardigan.

Shotaro was about to follow after his partner when he heard the sound of footsteps somewhere far on the right side corner of the woods. His body froze as all his senses went on full alarm mode.

Philip had already gone way ahead without him. Even after all this years he still wasn't sure to be amazed or annoyed by his partner's high level of curiosity and enthusiasm. When Philip set his mind on something, he waits for no one. Shotaro gave the surrounding trees in the dark a quick scout.

_Snap. Snap. _

There was no mistaking it. Someone was approaching and seemed to have picked up the pace as well. Shotaro moved quickly and ducked behind a huge tree. The sounds of twigs snapping grew rapidly – whoever that was had broke into a run. He did a quick mental calculation of his options. If the person approaching was an enemy he had two choices: either hide or fight upfront. At the very least from the footsteps it sounded like a single person only. But if they broke into battle, he risked exposing their presence to whomever that was up ahead. That sneaky smiling Purple Man had warned them that "a certain shady organization" had also set their eyes on the Jewel of Whatever and probably had the lead on them. Also, Philip had gone ahead and for all he knew he could already be at the cave. If they transformed into Double now, his body would be left unconscious. If he wasn't alone…

However, if Shotaro had decided to conceal himself, their pursuer could catch up to Philip and ambushed him from behind. He couldn't allow that. He had to take out this person right here. Luckily, he was smart enough to bring along the Lost Driver.

Confidence began to surge up in his body. He had the advantage at that very moment. The woods were dark with the moonlight barely breaking through the thick clouds. He never liked the darkness but for once he was glad to have it on his side. A great detective always uses everything at his disposal to gain the upper hand.

Shotaro peered over the tree. He was waiting for the person to break into the clearing when the sounds of footsteps died instantly. The woods returned to absolute silence. Shotaro held his breath, afraid to make even the tiniest sound.

A minute passed by. Then another. And another.

His pursuer was nowhere to be seen or heard. Panic crept up his body like a swarm of tingling spiders. He couldn't stand there forever. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to catch up to Philip in time. He had the urge to just call out the person to show him/herself. His hand reached for the Lost Driver hidden in his waistcoat when someone grabbed hold of his shoulder from behind.

_Shit_.

'Shh. Calm down, Hidari.'

Shotaro turned to see a familiar face looking at him straight in the eyes. It was the hot-blooded, red inspector of Fuuto himself – Terui Ryu. He had on his usual dark crimson jacket over a black t-shirt. How inconspicuous.

Shotaro wanted to punch Terui in the face so badly.

'Damn it, Terui! You scared the living hell outta me. I thought it was an enemy or something, following me through the woods. What the heck are you doing here?!'

'I'm the one who ask questions here! What are _you_ doing here, lurking behind the trees in the night like this?'

Anger boiled all over Shotaro. He had wasted valuable time for nothing. 'Story-telling can wait. We need to find Philip. Fast.' He moved out before Terui could stop him. There was only one other way he could reach out to his partner. Shotaro pulled out the Double Driver and placed it on his waist.

_Philip. Can you hear me?_

No answer.

_Philip!_

_Quiet down, Shotaro. Meet me by the riverbank before the cave. Foundation X, they're here._

Great. Just the people Shotaro can't wait to see and wish Happy Thanksgiving to. He turned to Terui.

'We need to move. I will tell you everything along the way.' Well, he didn't have the luxury of explaining every single detail but enough for Terui to get the gist of things. The cave entrance was at the peak of the hill but before it lies a wide river, about half the width of a football field. The streams were slow and steady, going downhill all the way to the bottom.

'Are you going to tell me what are you doing here, Terui? Aren't you supposed to be with Akiko prepping for Sokichi's birthday party?'

'I was, when reports came in that a certain suspicious activity was spotted up hill that may involve Dopants. It could have something to do with a family that went missing while jogging up the hill three days ago.'

'People were missing? I didn't hear anything about it.'

'You're not the police, Hidari. People don't go to you everytime something went wrong.'

That took Shotaro aback. He wasn't the police but whenever something bad happens to the city people _do_ go to him for help. As a Kamen Rider, keeping Fuuto safe was his responsibility. Dopants or not, he would not let the people of Fuuto grief.

'Two weeks ago, a lady went missing around the hills while on her way home. Her body was found several days later and autopsy stated that her death was an accident. Probably fell down the slopes.'

'I heard about that one. But you're not convinced?'

Shotaro couldn't see Terui's face very well in the dark but he could tell his expression was grim.

'Something wasn't right. Her body was too perfect. No injuries or wounds of any kind. She had no medical records on any illness. Also, something wasn't right with her skin. It looked like… like it had no soul.'

'What do you mean? Someone dead couldn't possibly have any soul.'

'That's not it. Her body looked alive and well, just that there was no soul in it.'

'You think that could be a Dopant's doing?'

'Maybe. When a family went missing around the same spot, my suspicions grew.'

'You should have told me about it. We could have looked into it together.'

'Like I said, you're not the police.'

'Hey. After all the battles we fought together, you're saying this to me now?'

Terui halted and placed his hand on Shotaro's chest to stop him as well. 'Listen, Hidari. We may be allies as Kamen Riders, but some cases I have to take on my own. Whatever we find up there; do me a favour. If it does have something to do with the disappearances, let me take care of it. Alone.'

Anger boiled within Shotaro. _What's his problem anyway? Why was he so keen on doing this alone? _

'Hold it right there, Terui. We were assigned a task of our own. And we were here first. If anyone was to stay away, it's you.'

'Do not argue with me, Shotaro. As a police officer, I'm ordering you –'

'Sorry, pal. I don't take orders from you.' Shotaro pushed past Terui and continued his way up. If recovering the jewel and the case of missing people were connected, there's no way he was going to walk out of this. He spotted Philip right behind a huge boulder by the riverbank overlooking the cave entrance. He went up beside him, crouching low as not to be seen. Terui followed suit behind.

'What did you find, partner?' Shotaro asked. Philip's expression was difficult to read in the shadows. The moon had disappeared behind the clouds, leaving a blanket of darkness to cover the earth.

'Foundation X members. About a dozen of them. They're milling about the cave entrance, shifting in boxes of machineries. I do not know what they're up to, though.' Philip turned to face Terui. 'Surprised to see you joining the ride.'

'Trust me, I rather be on my own. Who's in charge of this pack?'

'Her.'

All three of them fixed their gaze on a woman dressed in black long overalls, the only one who's outfit was in stark contrast to the standard white uniform of Foundation X members. She stood right at the center of the cave entrance clearing, her arms crossed while she observed her underlings at work. Shotaro was surprised at how pretty she was. She had long, dark wavy hair tied in a ponytail at her back. Her skin complexion was fair, her lips pink and her brown eyes large and filled with life and energy. Her body was lean and well built with the perfect curves. Totally his type.

If Shotaro hadn't known better he would have thought of her as a supermodel.

He must have been staring at her and completely dumbfounded when Philip snapped him out of it. 'Hold it together, Shotaro. She's more than what meets the eyes. Something about her.. it doesn't feel right.'

'She is gorgeous, no doubt,' Terui said quietly, surprising even Shotaro.

'Dude, you're married.'

'Do not question me.'

'Look. It's about to begin,' Philip interrupted.

Both Shotaro and Terui returned their focus to front of the cave entrance and saw that within minutes a complex looking machine had been set up. One Foundation X member was fidgeting with what seemed like a control panel, rapidly pushing several buttons at once. The machine looked like a giant refrigerator torn upside down and inside out and then had its parts reassembled in every mismatching way possible. Wires of various colours intertwined with each other across the machine, connecting it to the control panel.

'My lady, it's done!' the man at the panel called out.

The Lady smiled (oh my, her smile was probably the most attractive smile Shotaro had ever seen!) and made her way towards the giant machine.

'Hit it.'

Shotaro nearly melted into a puddle of feelings. Her voice complimented her beautiful appearance – sweet as an angel, yet seductive.

The man at the panel pushed one last button and the machine whirred to life. It glowed a bright orange and electricity surged around its body, collecting into one single charge. The machine shook and shuddered before releasing the energy in a powerful blast. It landed on an invisible barrier outside the cave entrance and Shotaro could only caught glimpse of it shattering. The rippling wave from the attack nearly knocked him out of his feet.

'What was that all about?' Terui said, not really as a question but rather a shocked statement. By then he had already gotten up to his feet.

'Stand down, Terui. Now is not the time to act,' Philip protested.

'I'm done waiting. These guys are Foundation X members. For sure they're up to no good.'

Before Shotaro could react, Terui charged out into the clearing and into the river, making his way across swiftly.

'That's far enough, Foundation X!' he cried.

Their enemies turned to face him; all surprised by the police's sudden presence except for the lady, who seemed to remain calm and composed. Instead, she smiled. What a lovely smile.

'Glad you decide to come out of the shadows and join us, Inspector Ryu. What about your friends? Don't they want to come out as well?' she said and winked.

Shotaro's heart skipped a beat. He shook his head hard, hoping to snap out of it. _This lady works for Foundation X_, he told himself. _She's the enemy. Focus, Shotaro. Focus. Her beauty has no effect on a top rank detective like yourself_.

But even as he was saying it, he knew her beauty already smote him. Something about her was impossible to resist. Shotaro had met a lot of attractive women, but none was quite like her. Before he knew it, he too was walking up to the clearing.

'Shotaro!' Philip called out from behind but he ignored his partner's plead. He had to see this lady up close. He had to..

In no time, all three of them stood facing the Foundation X members. The Lady studied them with an intense look of interest.

'So, the famed Kamen Riders of Fuuto. Double and Accel. Pleased to finally meet you in person,' she said in such a polite voice that Shotaro began to question was she really the enemy.

'Spare us the pleasantries. We know you're up to no good. What is it you're after in that cave?' Terui said, though he too sounded surprised by the Lady's mannerism and seemed to lower down his harsh tone.

'Excavation, of course. A great treasure lies within, and we intend to retrieve it. The very same reason you're here, right boys?' she said while directing her attention to Shotaro and Philip.

'Yes.. uh.. I mean no!' Shotaro stuttered. He slapped himself hard mentally. _Get a grip of yourself, Shotaro!_

'How charming,' Lady said with a smile.

Shotaro could feel himself blushing. He probably looked as ridiculous as a high school student falling head over heels on a girl but he couldn't help it. Every word this woman spoke, every action she made, it captivated him further.

'How did you come to know about the Jewel of Hekate?' Philip asked.

'_Gehenna_ is its name. The prized jewel of the magic goddess, given to a man who had proven his worth. Before he died, he hid it away in a location unknown to anyone, up until now.' She gestured towards the cave. 'In there, lies the final resting place of that man. For centuries, the story of Gehenna had been but a myth. Tonight, that will change. Tonight, the world shall come to know of its power.' Her eyes gleamed with excitement, mesmerizing Shotaro.

'Nice try. But I don't believe in magic or ancient goddess. Whatever you're scheming, I'm putting it to a stop,' Terui called. Several Foundation X members stepped up to defend the Lady but she simply held out her hand, signaling them to stay put.

'There's no need to get rough. I am sure a proper conversation will bear better fruit, don't you agree?' she said, smiling affectionately at Shotaro. He could feel his legs grew wobbly and weak. It took everything he had to not collapse on his knees in awe of her beauty.

'Ri.. Right. We could talk, no harm at all,' he stammered.

'Get it together, Hidari!' Terui said.

Philip stepped forward. '_How_ exactly did you come to know of the jewel's whereabouts?'

The Lady simply smiled in response. 'The same way the people who hired you knew. Why didn't you ask them instead?'

'She's got a point, Philip. I don't trust those people anymore than..' Shotaro hesitated. '.. than them.'

Around them, the Foundation X members looked at each other in confusion, unsure of what to do next.

'You're avoiding the question,' Philip replied.

'And you're not thinking. Strange men who appeared out of the nowhere, hired you for a job to locate and retrieve a magical jewel. What do you think they were going to do with it? Frankly, I'm disappointed. You boys ought to be smarter than this,' she said with a sigh. 'I knew we, Foundation X, and you Riders had a few bad histories together. But I assure you, better the power of Gehenna fall to our hands than the people you work for.'

Philip let out a small laugh, which surprised Shotaro. 'So I was right after all. I had a feeling we're being spied on and I'm glad it wasn't the work of paranoia. Right after you knew the location of the jewel, you sent people to monitor us, to make sure we didn't get in your way. Why didn't you tried to stop us before we got here?'

'Because there's no need to. You're partially correct, my boy. I sent people to spy on you but not because I was wary of your intervention. My concern lies with those men in black suits, whose origin I know not of. What I do know is that they are after Gehenna as well. I am, however, glad that they went to you boys to get it for them. At least you Riders can be reasoned with.'

Shotaro felt like a complete klutz, which totally did not befit his status and reputation as Fuuto's best private detective. However, his mind could barely function the way it normally did when such unprecedented beauty stood in front of him. He knew he should take charge of the situation but he couldn't take his eyes off her. When she spoke, her mouth moved in such a gracious manner that Shotaro's couldn't help but wonder how good of a kisser she must be.

Terui's words broke him out of his daze. 'Reason? Very well. Answer my questions and then we can consider reasoning. A young lady by the name of Minami disappeared prior to being found dead at the foot of the hill some two weeks ago. And most recently a family; husband and wife and their two children, went missing at the exact same spot. Are those your doings?'

The Lady's smile faded. She looked hurt by the accusation. 'What an awful thing to say. Do I look like the kind of person to kill an innocent woman and kidnapped an entire family?'

'You're with Foundation X. Everything is possible,' Terui retorted.

'Of course not. We want possession of Gehenna, that is all. Why would we kidnap innocents and brought attention on ourselves, knowing that the Guardians of Fuuto would be hot on our tail?'

Shotaro felt an inexplicable sense of relief. For some reason, he believed her. Every word she said.

'Terui, I think she's telling the truth. She has no reason to kidnap those people. Perhaps what happened were pure accidents and –'

'Stay out of it, Shotaro. I said I will deal with this on my own,' Terui snapped.

'Who are you to decide things? Stop acting tough, Terui. It's getting on my nerves,' Shotaro snapped back.

'I said –'

'Enough! Both of you!' Philip yelled. Shotaro glared at Terui with such immense anger. Not only was he bossing him around but he's accusing this beautiful woman who did not seemed to be able to commit such hideous crimes..

Philip stepped in between them, pushing both apart. 'Not now,' he said under his breath. He returned to questioning the Lady. 'You said the world will finally know of Gehenna's power. What do you intend to do with it?'

'Let us retrieve it and I will show you,' she replied with the most beautiful smile Shotaro had ever seen in his life. His mind repeated the words _I want her. I need her. I want to have her._ Slowly but surely, his consciousness slipped away and he fell into a daze. He began to move towards her, no longer in control of his body that seemed to act on its own now.

'Woi, Hidari!' Shotaro heard Terui called out to him but he couldn't care less. He wanted no one but her. He wanted nothing but to be by her side..

'Stop! Get back!' Phillip yelled.

Shotaro was vaguely aware of the fact that he now stood beside the Lady. She smelled of fresh roses, extremely sweet and lovely. Shotaro wanted nothing but to inhale on her scent for all eternity. Love. He was in love with her. Adrenalin rushed through his body when her hand touched his. She laced her fingers around Shotaro's and she spoke to him in a soft whisper, 'Come. Gehenna awaits us.'


	12. Chapter 11 - Shotaro

**SHOTARO**

Shotaro never had any luck with women. Ever since he could remember, the girls he fell for were always way beyond his league. His feelings would go unreciprocated, but it was okay. A hard-boiled man could take any emotional beatings without a flinch.

Thus, when the Lady whispered softly to his ears, 'Protect me', all of Shotaro's primal instincts kicked to life. He could vaguely made out what was taking place around him. He heard his friends call out to him several times but he did not respond. He heard noises, possibly the sounds of battle, but he could not focus his attention on anything specific. Only one thing was running through his mind vibrantly – the will to safeguard this beautiful lady that had held his hand with such gentleness that he never felt before.

Shotaro held on to the Lady's grip tightly and began to make a small run for the cave. He had to get both of them inside safely, away from his friends, away from the dangers...

_Wait. What was he doing? This woman works for Foundation X. The same people who funded Museum and was indirectly responsible for the Dopant threats in the city. The same people who was also behind the NEVER project which nearly destroyed Futo. How could he have wanted to protect such a person?_

But before he even realised it, they were already inside the dark chasm. The air was damp and the floors' moist. He could hear the sound of trickling waters in the distant; the narrow tunnel led far and deep into darkness. His mind could barely register what was going on but a deep sense of despair seeped into his heart. This cave was evil. A presence so evil and malevolent resided deep inside and it was rebuking them, warding uncalled trespassers from its domain.

Yet, Shotaro and the Lady ventured deeper into the unknown, leaving the light far behind them. His body moved on its own will as Shotaro's mind had no longer had any say in it. The sounds of battle cries faded slowly with each step they took and a sudden chill, as cold as death, descended upon them. The Lady moved in front of him, guiding him through the blind darkness. He could not see anything in the pitch-black environment they were in and he was surprised his eyes had not adjusted to the darkness at all.

'How could you still see?' he asked, his voice cracked and hoarse.

'I was born in the darkness,' she replied, which of course, didn't make any sense to Shotaro.

'What do you mean? How could someone as beautiful as you born in darkness?'

She did not reply. They continued to move forward and with his eyes unable to see, Shotaro's mind began to clear off. Perhaps it was because he was no longer withheld by her beauty. He tried to make sense of what exactly just happened, of how she could have talked him into following her, into protecting her, when she came to a sudden stop and Shotaro bumped into her from behind.

'We're here.'

There was a sound of fingers snapping and their surrounding lit up, revealing a large cavern the size of a mansion courtyard. Flames lit up on worn torches arranged across the granite walls, surrounding the room with heat and light. Right in the center sat a large, rectangular stone block covered in dusts and cobwebs. The floors were uneven, with cracks spreading across like dead trees in autumn with branches reaching out to grab hostile intruders. The sound of flowing water was louder than ever in the room, but Shotaro still could not locate its source.

'Come.' The Lady made her way towards the stone slabs, pulling Shotaro along. Normally he wouldn't be excited at all to visit a dark creepy cave on a first date, but seeing her beauty again immediately erased any unpleasant thoughts in his mind. He still couldn't believe someone as gorgeous and as perfect as her would have taken interest in him and he wanted nothing but to be by her side.

'The sarcophagus of the man chosen by the goddess Hekate,' the Lady spoke.

Great. Now they're saying hi to the dead. Whoever was inside sure picked one hell of a resting place.

She ran her soft fingers over some engraved markings on the stone lid, which Shotaro guessed were ancient language of sort. The carvings came in various shapes but in similar sizes, something like the Egyptian hieroglyphs but far more complicated.

'_Be warn, those who interrupt his sleep, for his wake would mean vengeance for the weak_. Interesting. Funny how his name was never mentioned,' the Lady said with a smile, the most beautiful smile in the whole world.

'You never told me your name as well,' he said.

'It's Emi,' she said.

Emi. Such a beautiful name.

'It means beautiful blessing', she said before planting a soft kiss on Shotaro's cheek, which made his cheek flushed pure red. That was it. Any doubts, any questions he had in his mind dissipated entirely. Only one thing remained clear – he loved this girl with all his heart.

She was indeed a beautiful blessing in his life.

While he was drunk in love, several Foundation X members came barging in through the entrance. One was kicked and thrown across the floor and his friends Terui and Philip rushed in soon after. When they saw Shotaro their facial expression was that of shock and disbelief.

'What in the name of Futo are you doing, Hidari?!' Terui yelled.

'Shotaro, this woman has bewitched you somehow. Snap out of it,' Philip said.

He looked at Emi, who smiled earnestly at Shotaro. She held on to his hand, her fingers cold.

No. They're wrong. He wasn't under some spell. If there was, it's love. He squeezed her hand and turned towards his friends.

'I'm in love with Emi,' he said like it was a natural obvious answer. 'Taking a stroll in a dark cave wasn't exactly my idea of a romantic date, but we'll do better next time.'

'Listen to yourself, Hidari! Do you realise what you are saying? She has put you under some spell, you idiot. Get away from her now!' Terui snapped.

'Watch it, Terui. Chastise me all you want, but leave her out of it.'

They glared at each other, tension boiling. Shotaro was getting _really _sick of Terui's bossiness. _What was his problem anyway?_ He knew all about Terui's bad temper but that night it seemed worse, edgier than before.

'We're not alone,' Philip suddenly said out loud, and everyone shifted their attention to him. 'There's evil in here. I can sense its presence.'

'There's evil alright,' Terui muttered and gestured towards Shotaro and Emi.

'No. It's something far worse, something.. dead.'

Shotaro's gut twisted and turned. He felt the same presence before entering the cave. The air around them grew thick and heavy. He hadn't realised it before, but mists began swirling about the huge cavern, engulfing everyone and everything in it. Shotaro's nose twitched. Smell of rotten flesh, of decayed corpses filled the room. Even the Foundation X members were having a difficult time breathing in the inhuman stench, their faces pale and sickly.

Emi clinged onto Shotaro's arm. He could feel her body trembling. She must be terrified. He wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace, trying his best to make her feel safe. But deep down he was just as scared. All of his inner senses screamed _run!_

'We need to get out of here, now!' Philip cried, trying his best not to breathe.

Shotaro wanted to agree but Emi held him in position. 'The Gehenna. We need to retrieve it, my love. We can't leave without it.'

He wanted to argue with her, that this was insane. But when he looked at her in the eyes, he knew he had to grant her wish. He turned to face his friends.

'Go on ahead. We'll look for the jewel and then we'll be on our way.'

'Are you out of your mind?' Terui cried. He took a step forward and the Foundation X members moved in to keep him at bay.

'**MASQUERADE!'**

The men activated their Gaia Memory and upon transformation, they seemed to be able to withstand their foul air just fine.

Terui cursed under his breath as the Masquerade Dopants engaged him in battle. Normally he was a skilled fighter even without becoming Accel, but the air must have affected his movements and senses. He avoided most of their attacks at first, but in time, the Dopants gained the upper hand when one managed to land a blow on Terui from behind. They took the opportunity to completely subdue him. Two of them went after Philip, who didn't quite put up much of a fight.

Shotaro turned to Emi. His eyes was watery, his vision fuzzy. The air indeed was poisonous, and he could feel his own consciousness slowly slipping away. 'My love,' he said in between breaths. 'Let them go. They –'

To his surprise, Emi broke free from his hold and walked towards the stone sarcophagus. She stood several inches from it, her eyes fixed at the carvings on the lid.

'Emi, what are you doing?'

She did not reply. Instead, she raised her hand. 'This is a test. One we must not fail if we are to advance.' She spread out her arms and inhaled deeply.

'What are you..'

His voice trailed off as a green aura began to glow around Emi. 'My body and soul are one with your breath. Take me as I am, and grant us passage.'

As Shotaro watched, the green aura radiated intensely before dying down to small flickers, and the mist surrounding them began to disappear. The air was breathable once more.

'Emi.. _how_? How did you do whatever you just did?'

She turned and smiled at him. Looking at that smile alone was enough to make Shotaro forget that moments ago he was choking on poisonous gas of death.

Emi reached out her hand and gestured for him to take it. He did, and joined her at the side in front of the sarcophagus. For some strange reason, her complexion remained the same, her beauty unwearied by the noxious gas. In fact, she looked prettier than before, if that was even possible.

'He's testing our courage to embrace the dead.' She bit her lower lip and squeezed Shotaro's hand. 'And we passed.'

His mind was in no state to process what that truly meant. All his brain cells could think of was how cute she looked with those excited eyes and lip biting of hers. He blushed.

'Shotaro! Get away from her!' Philip called out from behind. Shotaro did not want to look at his partner. He knew Philip was being held down by the Dopants, and he wanted to help. But if these men were with Emi, then he can't be in danger, right?

'She has placed you under some kind of spell, and this place further enhanced it,' Philip continued. 'Think, partner. She's not who she seems to be. She's with Foundation X, and that can't be good. Somehow, she has manipulated your mind and feelings. You need to break through, Shotaro!'

Shotaro's head began to spin. Deep inside his subconscious, he understood what Philip was saying. However, it was pinned down by his immense love for Emi, which seemed to render all his ability to reason useless.

'He's a fool, Philip. Falling under a spell that easily, it's ridiculous,' Terui said somewhere from behind.

That sparked a rage within him. He has had enough of Terui's insults.

'Calm down, my love. We need to proceed to the second test,' Emi whispered.

Shotaro took in a deep breath. The air smelled damped but fresh nonetheless. He forced himself to ignore both Philip and Terui. 'What do we need to do next?'

She ran her hand on more of the carvings at the center of the stone lid. 'To attain the prize of the goddess, one must present an offering to impress.' Emi met his eyes and moved in to kiss him on the lips. It was a passionate kiss, filled with love and emotions. He wished it could last forever.

She broke away from the kiss and said in a soft voice, 'Now you need to die for me, my love.'

'Huh?'

Two Masquerades grabbed Shotaro at each side and locked him to his knees. They completely overpowered him, making his struggles futile.

'Emi? What do you mean?!' Panic surged up within Shotaro. _Why did she say that he has to die for her?_

'To pass the second trial, a willing sacrifice must be made. You loved me, don't you? Giving up your own life for someone you love is only natural.'

Shotaro's heart skipped a beat. Is she really asking him to die, just so that she can pass a test from the dead?

'Do it for me, my love. If it's reversed, I would have done the same for you.'

'Don't listen to her! Get it together!' Philip shouted. He said something else after, but his voice was muffled and a cry of pain followed suit. Shotaro's guess was one of the Masquerades must have hit him to shut him up.

His mind raced. Voices began to argue against one another, each one telling him a different thing to do. One shouted _run_! Another yelled _die_! He closed his eyes, trying his best to focus and shut down the voices. It didn't worked.

Emi cupped his face with her hands. 'Please, my love. For me.'

That was it. Her pleading voice, her begging eyes. He would do anything for her.

'If that is what you wish, my love.'

'Shotaro!' Philip pleaded. More cries of pain from his partner.

'But please, let them go. After my death. Promise me.'

'Of course. I have no use for them.'

Shotaro smiled, satisfied with her guarantee. He closed his eyes and readied himself for death.

'Hidari, you idiot! Can't you see she's a witch?!' Terui shouted.

Suddenly, there were sounds of confusion amongst the Masquerades. They cried in alarm and he heard footsteps of something light leaping around the stone floor. He opened his eyes and saw the astonished look Emi's face. He turned around and saw the Fang Memory, in its raptor form, bouncing off the Dopants one after another, knocking them down and freeing Philip.

It then charged at the Masquerades holding Shotaro down, sending them tumbling away. It stopped briefly and looked at him before attacking Emi next. She cried in alarm and backed away.

'Get away from me!'

Shotaro got to his feet before Philip tackled him down from behind. His partner pinned his arms to the floor and searched his waistcoat pocket. 'Philip, what the hell are you doing?!'

'Saving you, partner. Like always.'

Shotaro struggled to break free but Philip locked down his arms. He never knew his partner was that strong, considering the fact that the Dopants overpowered him with earlier with much ease. Behind them, he could hear Terui holding off the Masquerades.

'**ACCEL!'**

'Hen… shin!'

As the Memory announced '**ACCEL!'** one more time and thus completing his transformation, Terui leaped forward and stood guard in front, fending against any advancing Dopants. He equipped the Engine Blade and swung it in a large arc, slashing four Masquerades at once. Philip pulled out the Joker Memory from Shotaro's pocket before forcibly placing the Double Driver on his waist.

'Woi, Philip!'

'Sorry partner, but this is the only way.'

'**JOKER!'**

Philip placed the Memory into the Memory Slot on Shotaro's Driver and called out to his own. 'Come, Fang!' The raptor Memory leaped onto Philip's hand.

'Partner, stop! I didn't agree to this!'

'**FANG!' **

'Not going to let you die, Shotaro. Work with me. Henshin!' Philip placed the Fang Memory into its slot beside the Joker Memory, which has materialised onto his Driver.

Instantly Shotaro's consciousness left his body and transferred into his partner's. **'FANG! JOKER!'**

As they became one single Kamen Rider, the clouds in Shotaro's mind cleared away. His subconscious began to work its way up, triumphing against his intense feelings for Emi. He began to see the situation they're in on a different light. His mind began to work overtime, processing the sequence of events that occurred. Both him and Philip were on an assignment to uncover a mysterious relic for some shady men. Terui, who was pursuing a case of his own, joined them. Together, they went up against members of Foundation X, who were also looking for the same jewel. And somehow, he was completely smitten over their leader, a gorgeous lady by the name Emi. He had allowed himself to follow her blindly, completely under her spell, while putting his friends in danger.

He screamed in frustration in his mind, which, he hoped Philip wouldn't be able to hear now that they both shared the same body. How could he be so gullible and stupid? Falling under witchcraft, forgetting who he was.

_Much better, partner? _

Shotaro took several moments to calm down. He looked at Emi, who stared at them with raging eyes. On their left, Terui prepared for the finishing blow.

'**ENGINE! ENGINE, MAXIMUM DRIVE!'**

Terui's Engine Blade charged up with energy and he lurched forward and slashed down the Masquerades one after another in quick succession. Upon the seventh and final Dopant, Terui skidded to a stop, his back facing the Foundation X members as they all collapsed in simultaneous explosions. 'Despair awaits you in hell,' he said before joining Philip and Shotaro.

Emi's expression was difficult to read. Her face was blank, void of emotion. She seemed unfazed that her underlings have all been defeated and she herself surrounded.

'It's over, lady. Give it up,' Terui said.

Shotaro was still having a difficult time piecing everything together. His mind was fuzzy; his feelings for Emi still seemed realistic but it was no longer taking control of him.

_You with me, partner?_

Shotaro struggled. _Yeah._

_Looks like it worked. When I saw the Masquerades overcame the poisonous gas by transforming, I knew I could lessen her hold on you by becoming FangJoker. This cave somehow further amplifies her power of mind control and by eliminating that factor off, there was a possibility of getting you back_.

Shotaro couldn't help but to laugh. His partner's brilliance never ceased to amaze him.

_Looks like I can no longer say I'm the better detective._

_You're never the better detective, partner._

Emi began clapping, which surprised Shotaro. Her expression changed to that of amusement. 'Not bad. I expected nothing less from Double and Accel of Futo.'

'Emi, what did you do to me?' Shotaro asked.

'What do you mean? I thought we're in love,' she said with a chuckle.

She was right. He was in love with Emi. Confusion began to stir within him.

_Hold it together, Shotaro. Don't let her words get to you._

'That's it. I'm bringing her in,' Terui said. He proceeded to apprehend Emi but to their disbelief, she grabbed hold of him and flung him to the side, like he weighed nothing. Terui got up fast enough, but before he could do anything, Emi jumped and kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing towards the wall. Both Shotaro and Philip moved in on her but she held out her hand and an invisible force pushed them backwards to the other end of the wall and held them in position. They struggled to break free but to no avail.

_Either she's psychic or she's not human._

Shotaro was having a really difficult time making sense on any of this. How could she possibly take down two Riders with such ease without even becoming a Dopant?

'Tell me, Shotaro. Do you really want to fight me, fight the woman you love?'

'I.. I don't know,' Shotaro admitted.

'All I ask of you was to die in the name of love. Is that too much?'

'It is. Wait, no it's not.'

_Shotaro! Focus! She's trying to regain control of you. Don't let her._

Terui charged from the side but Emi simply held out another hand and pinned him down the same way.

'Come back to me, my love. Protect me. Die for me,' she coaxed.

Shotaro's mind felt as if it was going to split in half. One side of him wanted to do as she said, while the other knew she was working her magic on him. His conflicting thoughts put their struggle on halt.

_Listen, partner. Focus on who you are. A Kamen Rider. Protecting Futo is your responsibility. You love this city more than anything, and you vowed to never forgive those who make the city cry. If she gets her hand on Gehenna, Futo will cry._

Damn it, Philip. You're such a genius.

His partner's words began to take effect. Memories of his late mentor, Narumi Sokichi, flooded his mind. He remembered all of his trainings, of Sokichi's hardboiled resolve to protect his clients' interest and keeping Futo safe. He adopted that resolve when his mentor died, and he has worked hard alongside Philip and his friends to uphold it. Slowly, he drowned out the voices in his head and forced through a straight thought: to stop Foundation X.

He channeled all his will and determination into breaking free from the invisible bind. He was angry, but mostly at himself, at how weak he was. He wasn't sure what spell he was under, and why his friends weren't affected. Perhaps Emi singled him out, seeing him as an easy target.

With one final burst of energy, the bind shattered. A look of surprised anger crossed her face.

_We're good to go, partner? _Philip asked.

Shotaro clenched his fist and finally pointed towards Emi. 'My lady, count up your sins.'


	13. Chapter 12 - Shotaro

**SHOTARO**

Shotaro thought the fight would be easy. He thought wrong.

As they closed in to attack, Emi revealed the Gaia Memory hidden underneath the sleeve of her overalls. It was gold in colour – the one used by high-ranking Museum members, with the standard ribcage design and the initial 'L' etched at the center. Shotaro wondered what does L stands for. He hoped it wasn't something as cliché as love.

'**LUST!'**

Shotaro stumbled. _Lust? Really?!_

He watched, baffled, as the witch unveiled a Living Connector located slightly on top of her right breast. As the Memory made entrance into her body, crimson flames engulfed her completely, transforming her into a Dopant. Where once stood the most beautiful woman was a dark purple monster with a pair of large black wings protruding from her back. She was lean and muscular, her mask resembled that of demonic dove from hell and her fingers were now long, deadly looking talons. She wielded a metallic staff about 8 feet tall; at its center was an orb that glowed a menacing purple with a mini black dove perched on top.

Emi, now an emissary of demonic birds everywhere, radiated with more power than Shotaro had ever felt. The flames flickered and danced about her torso, as if daring anyone foolish enough to approach and be instantly burned into ashes.

_She didn't use a Driver._

Philip was right. The golden Memories were the most powerful of its kind. Directly linking it with a Living Connector would leave dangerous side effects on its user's body, even death. A Driver, despite weakening the Memory, was needed to counter the risks. Even then, Golden Memory Dopants were a class of their own. That would explain why Shotaro sensed so much power was being channeled through Emi.

Terui seemed to be unfazed by her new appearance and attacked anyway. He slashed at her with his Engine Blade and the Lust Dopant simply deflected it with her staff. She held her ground and parried all of Terui's relentless strikes with ease. To Shotaro's surprise, her gaze was still fixed at him and Philip. It was difficult to tell if she was actually smiling with that deformed beak of hers.

In a blink of an eye, she got around Terui and slammed her Dove-staff on his hind, sending Accel off-balance and crashing face-first onto the ground. Before he could get up, Emi swung her weapon upward in a large arc. It caught Terui in the chin of his helmet, knocking him against the wall. Shotaro and Philip shook off their initial shock and advanced to help but the Dopant was too quick. She moved with blinding speed, leaving trails of blurred red light in her wake as she maneuvered around the cavern, dealing multiple blows in mere seconds. Her attacks were consistent in force; enough to throw them around without dealing any critical wounds.

'Is that the best from the Guardians of Futo?' she mocked as Shotaro and Philip was sprawled helplessly in front of her. Despite her monstrous form, the beauty of her voice remained. 'I am disappointed. I love men who can put up a good fight.'

'You've seen nothing yet,' Terui snapped.

'**TRIAL!'**

Sounds of blinking traffic lights echoed against the granite walls as Terui assumed his Trial Form, Accel's fastest state. 'The countdown of your fall begins now,' he exclaimed as he tossed the Trial Memory into the air and charged with supersonic speed. Shotaro and Philip watched as Accel Trial executed his Machine Gun Spike, a series of multiple kicks in a row, which left energy treadmarks in the form of a blue T.

To their horror and disbelief, the Lust Dopant countered each kick with her staff, matching Trial's immense high speed. She released a burst of purple energy, knocking back Terui just as the 10 seconds mark came to an end. The Trial Memory landed at his feet and Accel's transformation was forcefully cancelled due to his failure in completing the Maximum Drive. Terui clutched his sides and groaned in pain, his expression that of agony.

'How is that possible?' Terui said while trying to get back on his feet.

'You're pathetic, Superintendent Terui. Were you counting down to your own fall?' Emi sneered.

Terui was about to say more but Shotaro intervened. 'Step back. We'll take it from here. Dova-lady, let's get serious.' He was still feeling queasy about his attraction to Emi, and wondered was it purely the effect of her spell or was it something more. He activated the Fang Memory's horn twice and summoned the Shoulder Saber. If close combat was out of question, their only other option was a ranged attack. But he had no idea how they were going to land an attack on a Dopant faster than Accel Trial.

'Count up my sins, you say? Is it a sin to make guys fall in love with me?' Emi teased.

Shotaro hesitated, his mind pondered on the Dopant's words. Confusion began to seep in, and he realised too late that her words were the source of her magic. He could feel his attraction towards Emi resurging, despite the fact that she emitted flames and lacked any physical appeal of a woman.

Philip seemed to sense his anxiety. His partner took the lead, eager to end the fight before the Dopant could resume her mind control on Shotaro. Philip removed the blade from FangJoker's right shoulder and released it as a boomerang. Shotaro wanted to stop him, knowing Emi would dodge it with ease. If Accel Trial couldn't keep up with her, how could they?

Instead, Demon Dove simply caught it in mid air with her left hand. 'What is this? Frisbee?' She tossed it aside and marched forward, taking her own sweet time, knowing she had the Rider completely outmatched. 'It's a shame, Shotaro. You have the potential to make a good lover.'

'That's something I knew all along,' Philip replied.

_Wow. Really, partner? You think so? _

_Go figure. Could be sarcasm._

_You brat._

The Lust Dopant fired purple energy projectiles from the orb of her staff, which burst into mini explosion upon impact. Again, it wasn't lethal, just enough to force them to retreat. Shotaro knew had she wanted to, she could take them out in a single attack. He would hate to admit it, but that was how far apart their strengths were.

'Give in to me, Shotaro and I will spare your friends,' she offered.

_That's it!_ He remembered what she said about overcoming the second test to obtain Gehenna. A willing sacrifice. She needed him to die on his own free will. Suddenly, he had an idea. It was a huge risk, but they had no other option. She clearly overpowered them by a large margin, a gap they would have to work around if they were to win. He told Philip what he intended to do.

_That's insane._

_Trust me, partner. What are we?_

Philip chuckled. _A single detective, and.._

.. _a single Kamen Rider_, Shotaro finished.

#####

'Fine. You win.'

Demon Dove seemed to be taken aback. 'Huh? For real?'

'Yeah. We gave up. FangJoker was our best bet, but we're no match for you,' Shotaro said with a disappointed sigh. 'You can have the Gehenna. We want out.'

'But.. but..' she stuttered, clearly wasn't expecting the Rider to surrender. 'What about your Xtreme Form? Don't you want to try that first?'

'Nah. We're cool. Those shady men don't pay us enough for this. We don't want that stinkin' jewel. You can have it. Just let us be on our way and it's all yours.' Shotaro undone their transformation, and his consciousness returned to his own body. As he rose to his feet, he saw the Dopant eyeing them suspiciously.

'What tricks do you have up your sleeve?' she pressed on.

Philip shrugged. 'No tricks. We just decided it wasn't worth it.'

'What are you guys doing? You can't be serious!' Terui cried.

'Shut up, angry wart. This isn't your call.' Shotaro said and shot him a quick look. _Work with us, Terui._

'So, do we have a deal?' Philip asked the Dopant.

'No! No deals! Come on, bring about your Xteme Memory. I'm eager to face the famous CycloneJokerXtreme.'

Shotaro had to suppress a smile. All was going according to plan, at least for now. 'You can't force us, Emi. Either you kill us or let us go. Either way, the Gehenna is all yours.'

Just as he was hoping, she undid her own transformation. Her long, wavy black hair flowed seamlessly. She was, once again, the most beautiful woman Shotaro had ever gazed upon.

'What are you scheming, Kamen Riders? I know your kind. You don't surrender easily; in fact you don't surrender at all. Whatever it is, it isn't going to work.'

By then, Terui finally stood up, one hand leaning against the wall for support, another pressing on the wound at his left flank. Shotaro couldn't see the injury but by the looks on his face, he could tell it was bad. Terui's eyes were filled with so much rage and hatred, something Shotaro haven't seen since the defeat of the Weather Dopant.

'Like we said, we don't have any schemes. You said it yourself. We have no idea where the people who hired us came from. They could potentially be worse than Foundation X. And our friend Terui here can't beat you even in his Trial Form. With that kind of agility, even Xtreme would be useless. We're just being strategic. No point wasting our lives against impossible odds.'

Emi took a few seconds to ponder on that. She tapped her fingers at her side, like she was deciding whether to trust them or not. Finally she said, 'Very well then. The boy and the officer can leave. I have no use for them. You, Shotaro, my love, must stay. Or else, everybody dies.'

'Fair trade,' Terui said, surprising Shotaro. He could only hope that Terui had somehow figured that he was planning something and not meant it for real. But then, Terui seemed oddly strange tonight, edgier than usual. Philip said the cave amplified Emi's hold on him. He wondered if it somehow also amplified Terui's temper.

Shotaro wished they could take this outside, somewhere far away from the tomb. Having to deal with a gorgeous brainwashing woman was difficult enough. He didn't want to have to contend with the magic hanging around in the vicinity, like snakes hiding and waiting to strike.

'Go ahead. You can have him,' Philip said, breaking Shotaro's train of thoughts. 'He was a pain in the butt most of the time anyway. With him gone, I can still be a Kamen Rider on my own. Kindly spare his Lost Driver and mail it to me, would you? I can write down the address of the Agency, which of course, would then be fully managed by me.'

If this weren't part of the plan, Shotaro would have smacked Philip in the head for saying that.

Emi still had doubts written all over her. 'You're just going to walk away, completely okay with leaving your partner behind?'

'Yup. Good riddance.'

'Agreed,' Terui added.

She eyed them one by one, perhaps weighing the possibility of a trick. Nobody said anything; the only sound in the cavern was the trickling of water somewhere further away. 'Well, go on then. Leave us.'

Philip was the first to make his way out of the room, followed by Terui who met Shotaro in the eyes as he passed by. He seemed to be saying _what the hell are you planning to do?_

When they're alone at last, Shotaro spoke as calmly as possible. 'So, how are you going to kill me?'

Emi smiled the sweet, seductive smile that had Shotaro completely smitten. He had to focus _really_ hard to not allow himself to be charmed over once again. 'I'm not going to kill you, my handsome Shotaro, until you asked me to, on your own free will.'

As he suspected, her words had magic in them. He began to feel compelled to do as she said, out of his "love" for her. For a second there, he thought he was going to slip right back in trance. He began to slowly back away towards the sarcophagus, one step at a time. He could feel its pull the closer he got, like it was tugging at his very lifeforce. His eyes grew heavy, his knees weak, his muscles limp; he was completely helpless as his soul drained away, bringing him ever closer to death. He stopped at about ten feet away from it. Any closer and he knew he would perish before Emi could even get him to kill himself.

'Do it, Shotaro. For me. You love me, don't you?'

'I do,' he replied.

'Then prove it. Take your own life. It would mean the world to me,' she continued. 'Offer your body and soul to me, and I will accept it with gratitude. I will remember you for all eternity. Our love will be told in stories by generations to come.'

Shotaro cringed slightly. He was a romantic, but he absolutely detested cheesiness. Her words rebuked him, just enough for him to regain his focus. He had to make this work. He was their best shot at taking this lady down.

'I love you, Emi. If my death is what you wish for, then it will be my pleasure to grant it. However, with one condition.'

'Condition?'

'Yes. Honour me with your strongest attack, one that compliments your beauty and strength.'

Emi's eyes grew wide with surprise. 'My strongest attack? Your condition is to die by it?'

'Exactly. I could feel it in your attacks earlier. You're holding back, obviously. If I'm going to go out, love, at least let me go out witnessing you at your best.'

She smiled, seemingly pleased with the acknowledgement that she had more in her than what she let on. 'Of course. I may not the strongest of the seven, but if I am so much as pleased I could break you with a snap of my fingers. Not to mention that I am the prettiest, wisest and most manipulative.'

That little revelation was uncounted for. 'Seven? There were six others just like you?'

'Not like me. My beauty is one and absolute. My siblings, some were disgustingly primitive. Violent. I am exquisite.'

Great. Six volatile family members. Shotaro's lucky stars just kept adding up and counting.

'Don't worry, my dear. It matters not. You won't be around to meet any of them. What matters most is you proving your love for me.' She walked up to him and kissed him on the lips, not a simple peck but a sensual kiss. She placed her hands on his thumping chest, leaned in so close he could smell her soothing fragrant. Shotaro couldn't help it. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her closer and kissed her passionately, allowing himself to indulge in the moment. He didn't care whether it was magic or not. He wanted to experience her, to taste her. Her lips were extremely soft and tender. The embrace lasted several minutes, and just when things were heating up, she pushed him away gently.

'I will miss that kiss,' she whispered.

Shotaro's heart faltered. It is incomprehensible how someone as beautiful could present such malice at the same time. He thought to himself that she did not need magic to get him to fall for her. Her beauty alone would have been enough.

He slapped himself three times mentally. _Get your act together, Shotaro! She's messing with your mind and feelings. Don't let her in! _

Shotaro cleared his throat. 'So, what say you? Let me see you at your best, at your strongest, as I give you my life?' he urged. He swore that if this worked and he survived, he would never utter something so cheesy ever again.

'Yes. Why not? But I thought you would prefer for me to be in my most beautiful form as you welcome death.'

Shotaro forced down a lump in his throat. 'Even as a Dopant, you're still beautiful. Something about you in that form is so regal. I would love to see it one more time.' He wished he could turn around and gag.

Emi took out the Lust Memory and placed it on his hand. 'Do the honours.'

Shotaro trembled as he held on to the Memory. He thought about running off with it, hence Emi would no longer be able to transform. But then he has seen how she restrained two Riders without her Dopant powers. He doubted he would get very far. He pushed aside the collar of her overalls, his face blushing red as he stared at Living Connector. He wanted to run his fingers along the fair skin of her breasts, to caress them. His instincts as a man overwhelmed him. He forced himself to look away.

'**LUST!'**

'Ready?' Emi asked as she regained her Demon Dove form. She took several steps back and raised her staff. 'Proclaim that you gave me your life willingly, Shotaro. Only then will the trial reckons it.' Dark purple energy gathered at the orb, the air cackled with electricity as she prepared her strongest technique. Her wings were spread wide, the flames evolved into swirling crimson aura and her diamond-like eyes glowed blood red. The ground shook beneath them, much like an earthquake.

Shotaro steadied himself. The next few minutes were crucial. If he timed it wrongly, it would be a one-way trip to meet up with whoever was inside that sarcophagus. 'I hereby willingly gave my life to my love, Emi. It's free for her taking.'

As soon as the words left his mouth, Emi brought down her staff and unleashed a wave of concentrated purple and black energy. It had the outlook of a giant dove surging forward, its beak open wide to consume everything in its path. Shotaro held his breath as it drew closer, counting the seconds with his fingers.

_Philip, now!_

The last thing Shotaro saw was the explosion.


	14. Chapter 13 - Shinji

**SHINJI**

Shinji flew through the night with the blinding speed of an eagle. Or at least that was what it felt like.

In reality, he was tearing through the silent of the night on his trusty scooter. It had mysteriously appeared right at the gate of Atori when he was on his way out, fully functional. He had no idea how that happened; he had left it at an abandoned alley, broken, before a crazy man with a gun started shooting at him. Regardless, he hopped on it almost instantly, glad that he had a ride away from the café and its eccentric owner.

Taking a glimpse at how his life could've turned out differently wasn't quite the pleasant thrill. He saw, through Sanoko's eyes, battles he involuntarily fought in. What was it called again… ahh right. The Rider War. He was a different person, well, still as lame as ever but he had terrifying powers.

He was called a _Kamen Rider_, and the cool part was he saved the lives of innocents from monsters of the Mirror World. In fact, he made a contract with one of them, a red fire-breathing dragon, and gained the power of Ryuki. He had always wanted to do something great in his life and being a Rider gave him the opportunity.

The not-so-cool part, however, was where he had to fight to the death with other Riders, who for some reason, seemed to be more powerful than he was. He only got bits and pieces of those battles, but they're more than he could handle. He witnessed pains, sufferings and deaths, all for the sake of being the sole victor in which a single wish would be granted. Like Sanoko said, the war was a ploy by a man named Kanzaki Shiro, who had pit the Riders against each other for his own personal agenda.

But the worst part? His own death. He had refused to partake in the bloody war and held on to his ideal that Riders should fight for the sake of others and not for themselves. Ultimately, his belief helped brought an end to the war but it had cost him his own life. Granted, time was reversed and none of that ever took place to begin with, and he has lived for more than ten years without knowing how different things could have been. The horror of that realisation, however, was what sent him bolting through the doors of Atori,

Shinji wasn't the bravest man he ever known and he had long time made peace with that. He was a thirty years old bachelor living in a tiny apartment, working on the same job for over a decade and rode a scooter that broke down more than it got him anywhere. There were times where he dreamt of being a hero, upholding justice and made a difference in the world. He liked it when it was a dream but not so much as an alternate reality.

A strange aching sensation tugged at the corner of his heart as the thought of Yui came across his mind. He remembered her as a close friend, someone he cared for deeply, which was strange considering the fact that they have never met in this timeline. He had kept her picture close-by because he felt some sort of connection to her and now he knew why.

She had saved his life, befriended him and aided him in hopes of stopping her brother, Shiro. She was the reason behind the war, but that was against her will. She convinced him that her life alone was not worth the bloodshed, and all the killings would have made her a murderer as well. Shiro had honoured her dying wish at last and had that never happened, Shinji would have remained dead.

He shook his head hard, hoping it would somehow uncluttered the mess of thoughts and memories scattered across. He could no longer dismiss them as hallucinations, as much as he wanted to. Part of him wish he never knew, for now that he did, he could no longer return to his life as the same man he was before. Sanoko had only shown him fragments of that year but he felt as though he had lived through each and every battle once again, experiencing its horror. He could feel the weight of the saber in his hand as he sliced through the monsters, the heaviness of his armor, and the fragility of life as he watched the Riders perished one after another. Some had been his friends and allies while most have tried to kill him but still, losing one's life in a fight to the death was something he could never agree to.

Then there was Ren, another Rider whom he wasn't quite fond of in the beginning (he was an absolute bully!) but gradually (and grudgingly) came to respect. Ren had fought in the war to save someone dear to him as well, much like Shiro, but unlike him, never had quite the heart to take the lives of others. In the vision, Shinji entrusted him to stop Shiro right before he died, and he figured Ren must have been quite the friend for him to do that.

With most of the Riders revived, he wondered what happened to Ren. He couldn't recall if their paths ever crossed again, but hopefully the guy got his well-deserved happy ending. He pondered on that thought for a bit and hadn't noticed the black cat standing in the middle of road, its yellow eyes staring intensely at Shinji. He swerved his scooter to the left just in time and crashed into the dumpster, his face buried deep among rotten pepperoni pizzas. His ride had skittered to a stop just a few feet away and he heard the sound of broken mirrors and clanging metals. The foul stench of garbage bags infiltrated his nostrils, and he held his breath just to keep himself from gagging.

Shinji slowly got to his feet and checked for bruises. Except that he now smelled as bad as the sewer, he was pretty much unscathed. His poor scooter, on the other hand, had a different story. It was mostly intact, but its rear mirror was smashed to pieces during the impact and the front wheel was bent at an awkward angle.

Great. Just great. Shinji sighed and cursed silently under his breath. He felt as though his luck had worked extra hard against him and took pleasure in his misery. He hauled the wreckage and slowly made his way home on foot. It was a starless night, the trees still and the streets empty. Soon he lost track of time, drowned in his own troubled thoughts as he recalled the words spoken to him by the mysterious man in black.

'_Soon, the Mirror World will be reopened. And it will come for you. Be ready then, if you don't want to die,_' he had said. It didn't make any sense to Shinji back then but now that he knew about his altered past, he wondered what did the guy meant about the reopening of the Mirror World.

_It's not possible,_ he told himself. He absently placed his hand inside his pocket and felt a solid object. His hand shivered uncontrollably as he pulled out the black rectangular cardholder he had found earlier in his apartment. He had forgotten all about it in the ensuing chaos but now, staring at it, he knew exactly what it was.

Each of the Riders had one. It contained the source of their powers, and losing it meant certain death. He forced his trembling fingers to get it together, and slowly, he slipped out the first card in the Advent Deck. The CONTRACT card. He closed his eyes and images of him, a younger him, wielding the same card to acquire the power of the Red Dragon surfaced in his mind.

If the Rider War truly was over and his life rewritten, then how did these came to be? It shouldn't have exist, perished along with that reality. Heck, he wasn't even supposed to remember any of it. He was supposed to live an ordinary life, free of monsters and anything supernatural. Instead, bunch of crazies rained down on him and washed away the bliss of ignorance like a sick practical joke.

He inhaled deeply and continued on his journey home. He needed a good night's sleep more than anything. His body was at the brink of exhaustion, his eyelids heavy and his footsteps sluggish. He thought about the girl who rescued him, Natsumi. She too was a Kamen Rider, there was no mistaking it. But how? She too had mentioned about some great upcoming danger but conveniently left out any further explanation. He wished he had heard from her, but after leaving him at the doorsteps of Atori she had vanished without trace. He never even got to say thank you for saving his life. He thought about her eyes and how much sadness it carried. Whatever her story was, it can't be good.

Later that night, after what seemed like endless hours of marching through the streets, he was comfortably tucked in his bed, eager to rest away his fatigue. He stared up the ceiling; his gaze followed the movements of the shadows from the trees swinging in the breeze outside his window. As he dozed off, he fell right into another nightmare.

#####

Shinji stood at the very edge of a wide chasm, its bottom pitch black. He was in the middle of a barren wasteland; no signs of living things were in proximity. Rocks covered in sands formed the body of the terrain, and large, jagged stone mountains encircled the four corners. The moon shone brightly in the night sky, yet it failed to the lit up the dark pit. From the looks of it, he guessed the bottom must be several thousand feet below the earth and he was only a step away from the most epic fall of the century. He quickly took several steps backward, away the opening, when a voice spoke.

'_We meet at last, Kido Shinji.'_

It sounded like a thousand hissing snakes, each trying to go a pitch higher than the others. He imagined a giant nest of serpents waiting underneath, eager to strike at the unfortunate fool who dared to take a peek. The hair in his back stood straight up as the voice echoed through the walls of the chasm, like amplified subwoofers.

'He.. hello? Who's there?' he shouted, trying to sound brave but his voice cracked with fear. Luckily no one else was around to his face turned pale white.

'_You have heard of me, I believe that much. My son is eager to make your world another offering to me, as I rise to bring an end to life and existence itself.'_

Shinji gulped. He pictured each word spoken was dripping with venom, as it pierces him it poisoned his body and soul. 'Erm.. you have to be a little more specific. I'm not good at recognising voices.'

The voice chuckled, a deep laughter like the sounds of boiling acid. _'You are an interesting one. Such a shame the world you lived in will come to an end, and along with it so will you. Otherwise, you would make for an entertaining pet.'_

'Uhmm, no thanks. So, who are you again?'

'_Do you not know my name?'_

'I wouldn't unless you tell me.' Shinji was really starting to get annoyed. On with it already!

'_I am Armageddon, God of Eternal Darkness.'_

'Oh.'

'_Oh? Just oh?'_ Armageddon seemed to be taken aback. _'Shouldn't you cower in fear of my presence?'_

'Well… for one thing, I can't see you. Maybe if you show yourself.'

Truth was, Shinji was scared down to his bones. He remembered the dreadful dream he had the night before. The two strange men he saw by the beach had mentioned that very same name. So did the loon Kaito and Natsumi. It took everything he got to push aside a nervous breakdown.

'_I have yet to possess a physical form but it's only a matter of time. It matters not to you, for you won't live to see it.'_

Shinji racked his brain for a witty comeback. Something told him that the moment he let the conversation be in favour of Armageddon, he would sank in despair. 'Well, good for you. Let me know if you need any help. I'll be on my way now. See ya!' He turned to make a move but his legs wouldn't budge. He tugged at them but they were heavy as lead. Panic rose within him. He shut his eyes and willed himself to wake up from slumber. It didn't work.

The god bellowed with laughter that sounded like the rumbling of volcano. _'There is no escaping me. When I fully wake, all life and existence shall perish. I am eager to know as to how a petty Rider such as yourself is going to make a difference.'_

Shinji could feel the earth began to tilt beneath his feet. He opened his eyes and saw the sky began to shift clockwise. He felt a tug and soon realised that he was being sucked into the pool of blackness. He struggled to resist, but the more he tried the stronger the pull became.

'_You cannot win, Kido Shinji. Regardless of the choice you make, you cannot save this world, let alone yourself.'_ Armageddon released another dose of laughter, each malevolent boom rattled deep into Shinji's bones. He felt as though his skin would fall right off him, leaving his skeletal frame to quiver in fear. He turned and saw that again, he was at the very edge of the empty void and in mere seconds it would swallow him whole.

'I don't know what you're talking about! Leave me out of this!' he screamed, desperate. As he fell, he could no longer see anything but darkness.

#####

Shinji jolted upright, his body covered in sweat. He was back in his room but he could still hear Armageddon's evil laughter ringing at the back of his ears. He kicked aside his warm blanket, rushed to the bathroom and vomited his lungs out. He hadn't eaten anything since lunch and his stomach twist and turn with each hurl. When he was finally done, he sprayed his face with icy cool water until the nightmare was completely washed off.

Minutes later, he sank into the couch on his cramped living room. He thought of the things the God of Eternal Darkness said to him. It had promised him certain death and he could tell it wasn't just for jokes. His life had become a complete mess in just a day. Visions – memories? – of a different life, Kamen Riders, monsters and crazies trying to kill him, threats from a demon god. It was a miracle he hadn't completely lost it yet.

He took out the picture of Yui and gave it a long, hard stare. Her smile, framed eternally, was pure and innocent. His heart ached when he thought about her fate, and the fact that he wouldn't be able to see her again. When the photo first came into his possession, he immediately felt the connection with her, like he knew her somehow. Turned out he was right. He had hoped that one day, they would meet for real.

He set the picture aside and took out the Advent Deck. The more he looked at it, the angrier he got. His life went chaotic the moment that thing reappeared. He was tempted to open the windows and threw it far away. Perhaps then the normalcy of his everyday life would return.

But deep inside, Shinji knew that not to be true. If this Armageddon was for real, then the world would be in danger. He sighed and shook his head. It doesn't matter. The god was right – there was nothing he could do. Who could he tell? Who would even believed him?

He gripped the sides of the Advent Deck so hard his hand throbbed. His heart skipped a beat when he saw a slight movement at the corner of his eyes. He turned and found his own reflection staring right at him from a wall mirror to his right. He raised his fingers and the reflection did the same. He stuck out his tongue and so did it. Relieved, Shinji stood up and was about to enter his room when a man spoke from behind.

'Found you at last, Kamen Rider.'


End file.
